Waymos in Atlanta and San Antonio keep driving into flooded roads

Source: Engadget

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Atlanta service pause

Waymo has halted its robotaxi service in Atlanta after a self‑driving vehicle was seen driving through a heavily flooded street and became stuck for about an hour. The incident was first reported by TechCrunch and captured in a video showing the car immobilized in the water.

Waymo told Engadget that a local storm produced flooding faster than the National Weather Service could issue a warning. The vehicle stopped, was later recovered, and no injuries were reported.

“Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with,” a Waymo spokesperson said. “During a period of intense rain yesterday in Atlanta, an unoccupied Waymo vehicle encountered a flooded road and stopped. The vehicle has been recovered and removed from the scene.”

San Antonio recall

The Atlanta pause follows a temporary suspension of Waymo’s service in San Antonio last week. The company issued a voluntary recall of nearly 4,000 robotaxis to deploy an over‑the‑air (OTA) software patch aimed at improving the vehicles’ ability to detect and avoid flooded roads. The recall was prompted by an incident in which an unoccupied vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in the Texas city.

Software updates and ongoing challenges

A recent software update was intended to restrict autonomous vehicles from approaching roads at high risk of flooding. However, the Atlanta incident suggests the patch was not sufficient to prevent the vehicle from entering dangerous conditions.

Waymo continues to develop its software to better handle extreme weather, acknowledging that the recent storm’s intensity outpaced existing detection capabilities.

Prior safety concerns

Waymo’s robotaxis have faced scrutiny beyond flooding incidents:

• In January, the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation into reports of Waymo vehicles illegally passing unloading school buses in Austin.
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• On the same day, a Waymo robotaxi struck a child near a school, causing minor injuries. Waymo stated the vehicle detected the pedestrian and braked hard, reducing speed from about 17 mph to under 6 mph. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating that incident.
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Despite these issues, Waymo maintains that its autonomous fleet is generally safer than human‑driven vehicles.
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