Autonomous taxi vandalized and set on fire!
The incident occurred yesterday evening around 9:00 PM local time in San Francisco’s Chinatown area, where an individual set fire to a driverless Waymo taxi. The act was carried out by a crowd who cheered as they smashed the vehicle’s windshield and surrounded it.
The driverless taxi became inoperable
The crowd spray-painted the vehicle, smashed its windows, and then set it on fire. The taxi was engulfed in flames. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but by the time they got there, the vehicle was already fully engulfed.
Waymo representative Sandy Karp stated that the vehicle was completely autonomous at the time of the incident, with no driver inside. Additionally, she mentioned that the flames were ignited by fireworks thrown from inside the vehicle.
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Robert Rueca, a Public Information Officer from the San Francisco Police Department, confirmed that the police intervened in the incident around 8:50 PM local time, by which time the taxi was already burning. Rueca added that there were no reports of injuries.
How safe are autonomous taxis?
A video released of the incident shows the electric Waymo Jaguar engulfed in flames. This incident raises concerns about the safety and acceptance issues faced by autonomous taxi technology.
Security concerns continue to rise as autonomous vehicle technology becomes more widespread. Incidents like these can significantly impact how the technology is perceived and accepted by society.
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