Waymo self-driving vehicle set on fire by crowd in San Francisco

The rise of self-driving vehicles presents new challenges, as demonstrated by a destructive attack in San Francisco over the weekend, in which a crowd set fire to a Waymo self-driving car. This extreme event marked the most destructive act on driverless vehicles in the U.S. thus far. It appears to be indicative of growing public hostility toward autonomous vehicles in the wake of a pedestrian-dragging accident involving a General Motors’ Cruise unit vehicle.

This recent incident is just one example of how self-driving cars have faced harassment, disruptions, and minor accidents in major U.S. cities like San Francisco and Phoenix, Arizona. These occurrences reflect a larger public concern about the safety and regulation of self-driving vehicles, as the California state later suspended Cruise’s driverless testing license in response to the pedestrian-dragging incident. As a result, Cruise pulled its U.S. self-driving vehicles from testing, highlighting the potential risks and regulatory intervention posed by these technologies.

While this attack on the Waymo vehicle is an isolated event, it underscores the need for further public education and regulatory oversight as companies expand their driverless car options. Despite these challenges, Waymo is committed to providing riders with safe and reliable transportation and is planning to expand its driverless ride-hailing service to new cities in the future. However, incidents like these in major cities across the U.S. indicate the importance of reassessing or strengthening regulations that govern the testing and operation of self-driving vehicles. This will be essential moving forward to ensure public safety and acceptance of autonomous vehicles as they continue to evolve.