The debate over the safety of self-driving cars has reignited just weeks after a Waymo self-driving taxi ran over a dog in San Francisco, killing a beloved neighborhood cat.
On Sunday, around 8 p.m., a Waymo carrying a passenger ran over a small, off-leash dog in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood, the company confirmed.
The dog’s condition is unknown.
The incident occurred near the intersection of Scott Street and Eddy Street, where a small crowd had gathered, according to social media posts.
A person claiming to be one of the passengers posted about the accident on Reddit.
“Our Waymo just ran over a dog.” “The kids saw everything.”
The passenger described the dog as weighing between 20 and 30 pounds and wrote that the family was heading home after a Christmas tree lighting event. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recorded that Waymo taxis have been involved in at least 14 animal crashes since 2021.
San Francisco Animal Care and Control said it received a report of the accident Monday morning. Waymo confirmed the crash on Monday and said it had contacted the passengers to confirm the situation.
“Unfortunately, a Waymo vehicle came into contact with a small dog that was released on the roadway,” a company spokesperson said. “We are committed to learning from this situation and acting on behalf of our communities as we continue to improve road safety in the cities we serve.”
The spokesperson added that Waymo vehicles have a much lower incidence of fatal accidents than human drivers. Waymo’s safety data shows that Waymo vehicles have 91% fewer accidents resulting in serious injury or worse when compared to human drivers driving the same distance in the same city.
Human drivers encounter millions of animals each year while driving.
“We don’t know if the human driver would have avoided the dog, but we do know that a human would have reacted differently to the ‘crash’ and the ensuing car full of screaming people,” a Waymo passenger wrote on Reddit.
One commenter said Waymo’s vehicles should be held to a higher standard than human drivers because self-driving taxis are supposed to improve road safety.
“The point of this is that Waymo would never make a mistake like that,” the person wrote on Reddit.
Some San Francisco residents say Kit Kat, a beloved corner store cat that roamed the Mission District neighborhood, has died. KitKat died in October when he was run over by a Waymo after walking under a self-driving car.
Two witnesses who spoke to the news agency said they saw the KitKat sitting in front of the stopped vehicle for about seven seconds, then walking underneath it as it started.
KitKat’s death sparked protests against Waymo, and San Francisco City Supervisor Jackie Fielder called on residents to vote on whether self-driving cars could operate in their neighborhoods.
“The human driver could also be held responsible,” Fielder told the paper. “There’s no one here to take responsibility.”
Waymo is expanding in California, announcing last month that it would begin offering ride-hailing services on freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The company also expanded its Northern California service area to more than 260 square miles.
In Los Angeles, taxis cover a 120-square-mile area and have been operating for more than a year.
Waymo is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet and is a major player in the emerging field of self-driving cars, which also includes Amazon’s Zoox taxi service and Tesla’s robotaxis.
Zoox recently launched its offering in San Francisco as sentiment toward self-driving cars grows in the city. Still, many residents support the voluntary initiative and believe it will lead to safer streets.
