Understanding Why Waymo's Autonomous Vehicles Are Noisily Honking at Night

Wednesday, 14 August 2024, 16:21

Waymo's driverless cars in San Francisco have recently been observed honking at each other throughout the night, prompting concern among local residents. This behavior is due to a flaw in the software that triggers honking when cars approach one another too closely. Waymo has since updated their software to minimize this disruption, assuring that their vehicles will keep noise levels down for nearby neighbors as they continue expanding their robotaxi service.
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Understanding Why Waymo's Autonomous Vehicles Are Noisily Honking at Night

Waymo's Driverless Cars and Their Late-Night Honking

Waymo's autonomous taxis in San Francisco have been causing a stir recently by honking at one another all night. Videos of this unusual behavior have surfaced, showing multiple vehicles parked together and continuously honking, much to the chagrin of nearby residents.

What Caused the Honking?

The peculiar honking is not indicative of an AI apocalypse or robotic flirtation as some have joked. Instead, it stems from a software error within Waymo's vehicle security system. The software is designed to honk when another car comes too close during low-speed maneuvers.

Waymo's Response

In a statement, Waymo clarified the situation, saying, “We recently introduced a useful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions by honking if other cars get too close while reversing.” They admitted that this behavior was unexpected in the parking lot environment.

  1. Waymo will implement software updates to rectify the honking issue.
  2. They aim to reduce noise pollution for their neighbors.

Expansion of Waymo's Services

Despite the noise controversy, Waymo continues to grow its robotaxi services, currently operating in San Francisco, Phoenix, and a small part of Los Angeles. The company has highlighted that its vehicles facilitate nearly 50,000 paid trips per week.


This article was prepared using information from open sources in accordance with the principles of Ethical Policy. The editorial team is not responsible for absolute accuracy, as it relies on data from the sources referenced.


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