Waymo robotaxis have run red lights, entered closed or flooded roads, and nearly hit pedestrians, according to a review of public records [1].
These findings highlight critical safety gaps in autonomous vehicle technology. While companies promise a future of reduced traffic accidents, these incidents show that driverless fleets still struggle with environmental obstacles that human drivers typically handle by instinct [1].
CNN reviewed public records and published the findings on June 3, 2026 [2]. The investigation identified hundreds of incidents [1] involving the driverless vehicles across various locations in the U.S. [3].
The records indicate the vehicles failed to adhere to basic traffic signals and safety warnings. In several instances, the robotaxis drove onto roads that were explicitly closed or flooded, conditions that generally require human judgment to navigate safely [1].
Pedestrian safety was also a primary concern in the reviewed data. The reports detailed near-misses where the vehicles almost struck people, suggesting a persistent challenge in how the software perceives and reacts to human movement in unpredictable urban environments [1].
Waymo operates a fleet of driverless taxis designed to navigate complex city streets without a human operator. The current data suggests that the transition from controlled testing to wide-scale public deployment continues to face technical hurdles regarding obstacle avoidance and rule compliance [1], [2].
“Waymo robotaxis have run red lights, entered closed or flooded roads, and nearly hit pedestrians”
These findings suggest that the 'edge cases' of urban driving—such as flooding or temporary road closures—remain a significant barrier to full autonomy. As robotaxi services expand, the gap between algorithmic decision-making and human intuition continues to pose a public safety risk, potentially inviting stricter regulatory oversight of driverless deployment in U.S. cities.
