"The power for more than 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco was knocked out in late December by a fire at a substation, but the outage had an unexpected effect: multiple Waymo self-driving robotaxis failed to adapt to the lack of traffic lights and abruptly stopped in the middle of intersections, dangerously blocking traffic. The arrival of autonomous vehicles in California comes with promises of safer roads, smoother traffic, lower emissions and new jobs, but autonomy doesn't operate in a vacuum"
"The U.S. autonomous vehicle market is booming, with an expected growth of more than $75 billion in 2030, an increase of 350% from 2023. This growth is, in part, inspired by research that has explored a wide variety of potential - and sometimes quite significant - benefits to more autonomous vehicles on the road. That includes improved safety, quality of life, public health, mobility and accessibility."
A late-December substation fire cut power to over 130,000 San Francisco homes and businesses and caused multiple Waymo robotaxis to stop in intersections, blocking traffic. Autonomous vehicle operation depends on functioning infrastructure, and infrastructure failures can cause advanced systems to falter. The U.S. autonomous vehicle market is projected to grow to more than $75 billion by 2030, driven by research showing potential benefits including improved safety, mobility, public health, and reduced environmental impacts. In 2023, 40,901 people were killed in U.S. car collisions, with human error a key factor. Public apprehension remains high, with 66% of Americans afraid of fully autonomous vehicles in 2024.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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