Several Waymo vehicles required towing due to dead batteries while stuck in heavy San Francisco traffic amid Fourth of July celebrations. A verified video from NBC News displayed at least a dozen stationary Waymo vehicles, primarily Jaguar I-PACE models, lined up on a street after fireworks at the Golden Gate Bridge.
Another video showed more vehicles stuck at an intersection crowded with people. One vehicle was seen on a flatbed truck. According to a company spokesperson, heavy traffic from the event and unplanned road closures led to unexpected congestion.
The spokesperson stated that Waymo’s roadside team worked to clear the vehicles. They are assessing ways to enhance Waymo’s resilience during major traffic disruptions. Rose Peterson described her experience with a Waymo ride when the vehicle attempted to drive through a road filled with fireworks. She reported that no one was hurt.
Dave Guingona mentioned spending nearly two hours in traffic until some Waymo vehicles were cleared. He noted that others were frustrated with the driverless cars blocking the road. One Waymo vehicle caught fire after driving over fireworks, although no injuries were reported.
In December, Waymo paused service in San Francisco following a power outage affecting over 100,000 customers. The outage caused traffic light failures and stalled driverless cars at intersections, according to NBC Bay Area.
Mayor Daniel Lurie, a proponent of autonomous vehicles, claimed they are safe and sustainable. He warned of post-fireworks traffic congestion in the city. In a video statement, Mayor Lurie advised motorists to be patient with the slow traffic exodus from the city.
The city’s Department of Emergency Management alerted residents about heavy traffic and crowded public transit. Charles Lutvak, press secretary for Mayor Lurie, stated that discussions would occur with stakeholders to improve future experiences during major events.