A driverless Waymo car was caught on camera illegally passing a school bus in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday. The autonomous vehicles are becoming notorious for erratic driving in cities where they are allowed to operate.
Video footage taken on a woman’s cellphone shows a driverless Waymo vehicle passing a school that had its stop sign out and lights flashing as children were exiting the bus, according to a report by 13 WMAZ.
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“Yeah, that’s a problem,” Georgia State Rep. Clint Crowe (R-District 118) said in reaction to seeing the video footage. Last year, Crowe co-sponsored Addy’s Law, which was named after 8-year-old Addy Pierce, who died in Georgia’s Henry County — in the greater Atlanta area — after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street to board her school bus.
The legislation reportedly stipulates that a driver can be hit with a $1,000 fine, and even jail time, if they are caught illegally passing a school bus.
Crowe noted that Addy’s Law still applies to driverless vehicles — but the question as to who is responsible for breaking the law in this case still remains.
“The majority of our traffic laws, the penalty is usually a fine and or driver’s license suspension,” the State Representative said.
“These cars don’t have a driver, so they don’t have a driver’s license, and so, we’re really going to have to rethink who’s the responsible party, who’s going to be responsible for being in control of that vehicle, and who’s going to be the operator of that vehicle,” Crowe added.
Crowe told 13 WMAZ that he believes the company should face stronger consequences when their driverless vehicles are caught breaking the law, adding that a $1,000 fine doesn’t go far enough.
Breitbart News previously reported on Waymo’s growing reputation for erratic driving and bizarre choices on the road:
One recent incident, documented by TikTok user Becky Levin Navarro, showed a group of passengers being trapped in a Waymo car on the side of a highway after the vehicle headed in the wrong direction. In the video, the passengers can be heard speaking with customer support through the car’s intercom, with the agent explaining that the vehicle cannot be moved manually and requesting a physical address to relocate it.
Waymo later responded to the incident, stating that passengers always have the ability to pause their ride and exit the vehicle when desired by pulling the door handle twice. However, this incident is just one of many that have been shared online, painting a less than flattering picture of the company’s self-driving technology.
Other viral clips show Waymo cars honking at each other in the early morning hours, causing traffic jams, and getting stuck in drive-throughs. Some videos even depict police and parking enforcement officers stepping in to deal with the wayward vehicles. In one instance in San Francisco, a Waymo car was seen going the wrong way during a Warriors game, with officials attempting to redirect it.
Breitbart News will continue to report on autonomous vehicles hitting America’s roads.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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