Waymo Los Angeles: A Cause Of Concern?
The future is here in Los Angeles.
Despite some backlash from San Francisco locals, autonomous vehicles are slowly becoming a pervasive presence in the city of angels. As of late, the Alphabet-funded rideshare service Waymo has been sighted by multiple Angelenos.
They’re pretty hard to miss as the autonomous vehicles are sporting cone sensors around its glossy exterior, as though eager to assure prospective riders that it is, in fact, safe.
But is it really?
According to Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer, the presence of autonomous vehicles will result in the reduction “of the likelihood of serious crashes, helping [Waymo] make progress towards [its] mission for safer, more accessible mobility for all”
This argument is all too familiar. During the early years of Uber and Lyft, promises of reduced traffic fatalities have been made, anticipating a decrease of DUI and pedestrian fatalities.
A University of Chicago study however, found the opposite. The researchers found that Uber and Lyft may have been responsible for 3% of the increased traffic fatalities as of 2019.
It’s apparent that rideshare services have an incentive to overinflate “safety” to lull people into availing their service. Eager to find out just how safe Waymo is, three New York Times reporters put Waymo to the test, and their experiences during the ride have varied.
While two of them have cited the experience to be “downright sleepy…[and] dryly precise,” the other journalist claimed the experience to be “aggressive…with more acceleration than he had expected.”
There remains to be a lot of uncertainties surrounding this app. For this reason, you will need to instill some safety habits when you avail the Waymo rideshare service. Here are 5 out of many:
1. To Avoid A Waymo Accident, Wait For Your Autonomous Rideshare Vehicle In Well-Lit Areas
A lot of traffic casualties occur primarily because of a driver’s reckless driving behaviors (i.e.: driving while drunk or distracted). However, a huge chunk of them also occurs because of low pedestrian visibility.
As autonomous vehicles are creeping up in popularity, it’s important for pedestrians to try and increase visibility by waiting for their Waymo in well-lit areas, especially at night.
Waymo claims that their autonomous vehicles are “safer” than humans driving behind the wheel. While more research needs to be done to back this claim, what IS apparent is that humans are still on the road driving. So while visibility is less of a concern for Waymo cars, it should still concern you as the lack thereof could jeopardize your safety.
2. Be Aware Of Your Surroundings To Prevent Waymo Crashes
Being aware of the environment around you is key in preventing Waymo crashes. While the technology of Waymo rideshare is expected to just get more sophisticated the longer it serves Los Angeles locals, there have been several reports citing accidents involving the autonomous vehicle.
If Waymo’s claims are true — that the autonomous vehicle rideshare is “safer” — the fact that a report of a dog was run over in spite of it being “safer” demonstrates that there is still a chance (albeit a slim one) that you could still get into incidents of waymo crashes. To err on the side of caution, make sure you don’t engage in pedestrian distractions.
3. Don’t Wait For Your Waymo At The Edge Of The Sidewalk
As Waymo seems to not be at the level of sophistication it needs to be just yet to 100% ensure safety to all riders, people availing the autonomous vehicle rideshare’s service needs to make sure that they are waiting for their vehicles at a far distance from the sidewalk.
This is to decrease the likelihood of getting “sideswiped.” Getting sideswiped puts you at risk of numerous catastrophic injuries, including but not limited to traumatic brain injury and/or spinal cord injury. These injuries are severely life-altering.
4. Wear Your Seatbelts During Your Waymo Ride
Not having a Waymo driver shouldn’t incentivize you to disregard seat belt usage altogether. While the autonomous rideshare vehicle claims that they are “safer,” there is still a chance, no matter how slim, that it could endanger your life. Optimize your safety by ensuring that you are wearing your seatbelt during the duration of your Waymo ride.
Even if Waymo’s claims hold true, you still are at the mercy of other drivers on the road and they may engage in reckless behaviors that could put you in harm’s way. In the event of a collision, having a seat belt at least secures you in place, preventing you from unwittingly getting ejected out of the vehicle.
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5. Be Mindful Of Waymo’s Automated Instructions
With no driver to direct you, the Waymo app is your point of communication. As it is autonomous, the Waymo app will be your best friend in terms of accessing your vehicle.
For safety reasons, you should be mindful of what the Waymo App tells you to do.
Per the aforementioned New York Times article above, they basically hold your hand throughout the entirety of your experience to ensure your safety. It will even encourage you to use the app as a guide while you walk closer to a specific destination well after you’ve been dropped off.
Call Omega Law Group For Your Waymo Los Angeles Case
With the uncertainties surrounding Waymo, it would be wise to expect the worst when availing their services. After all, people have reported Waymo car collisions during the trial runs.
Waymo contends that they are not responsible for such crashes, that the other human party’s error is to be blamed.
But especially with little to no regulations set on autonomous vehicles just yet, it’s best to proceed with caution come time you decide to indulge your curiosity surrounding these advanced cars. If you just so happen to be involved in a Waymo car collision, you will need to hire a personal injury firm who has taken on a Waymo Los Angeles case.
You need to hire Omega Law Group.
Beyond their Waymo accident case, the legal team of Omega Law Group have accrued over millions of dollars in compensation for their clients. This is a testament to their shrewd negotiation and litigation skills, both of which have been acclaimed by industry-vetted organizations like the US News and SuperLawyers.
Their tech-forward ambitions for the personal injury industry have landed them on the headlines of the Los Angeles Business Journal and features from the Los Angeles Times.
The Omega team are highly-skilled and highly-empathetic legal professionals. Despite the notoriety and prestige they’ve accumulated over the years, they remain grounded in their mission to provide legal help for their clients regardless of their financial circumstances.
This is why they still operate on a contingency-fee basis, allowing clients to avail quality and elite legal services at no upfront costs! Schedule a free legal consultation to learn more!
