She gets hit violently by an autonomous vehicle: pedestrian safety is discussing debate

Autonomous vehicles invite themselves on the roads and relaunch the debate on pedestrian safety in the face of a fully automated system. All the more Tesla has just launched her robotaxis in Austinwhere Waymo also operates.

An injured cyclist accuses Waymo of negligence

Jenifer Hanki suffered serious injuries after being struck by Waymo’s autonomous vehicle: cranial trauma, spine lesions and muscle injuries. The cyclist now accuses the negligence company.

Waymo, however, praises its functionality “Safe exit” which alerts passengers from the presence of cyclists at the opening of the doors. Except that according to testimonies, no alert has been issued. It is therefore not the autonomous driving itself that makes the worst fear but the use of autonomous vehicles.

Worse still: the four passengers of the autonomous vehicle have been unable to react or contact Waymo emergency services. Instead, customers abandoned the victim on the road and left. Passers -by finally called an ambulance to help Jenifer Hanki.

Usually, Uber’s human drivers or taxis check before opening the door to passengers. Leaving full responsibility to the passengers of an autonomous vehicle includes risks with this self-management.

Jenifer Hanki also highlights this difference: human drivers have reflexes and are vigilant unlike Waymo which depends on automated systems. The company defends itself by explaining that the majority of accidents are caused by customers. The company continues to promote its security statistics to justify the reliability of its technology.