“There are other places they can test. They said they need real-world examples, but I don’t want to be their real-world mistake.”
O’Polka’s concern of becoming a “real-world mistake” comes after an Arizona resident died in 2018 due to a self-driving Uber vehicle gone wrong.
Response from the Waymo Company
As expected, Waymo has strongly worked to assure Arizonians of the safety of their self-driving cars. Following multiple instances of vandalism and damages, a spokesperson for the company issued the following public statement:
“Safety is the core of everything we do; which means that keeping our drivers, our riders, and the public safe is our top priority. Over the past two years, we’ve found Arizonans to be welcoming and excited by the potential of this technology to make our roads safer.”
Thus far, the people of Arizona are not convinced.
Automation and Safety
As automation begins to integrate its way into society, many people are excited of the prospective upsides. However, it’s important for developers to also ensure that their projects are safe and will not cause harm. If various individuals habitually lose their lives to automation, the backlash seen from Arizonians may become more common.
