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BWC: Ariz. officer stops self-driving car after it entered oncoming traffic lanes to avoid construction

Body camera video shows an officer approaching the vehicle, where he was then put on the line with a customer service representative

By Joanna Putman
Police1

PHOENIX — A Phoenix police officer recently pulled over a Waymo autonomous vehicle driving in an oncoming traffic lane with no driver or passengers inside, the Arizona Republic reported.

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According to police dispatch records, on June 19, the Waymo car drove into oncoming traffic, ran a red light and “freaked out.”

Body camera video shows an officer approaching the vehicle, where he was then put on the line with a customer service representative.

“Your car here drove into oncoming lanes of traffic,” the officer can be heard saying on the phone. “There’s…a construction area, and it went into opposing lanes of traffic, which is really bad.”

Waymo officials explained that the vehicle encountered inconsistent construction signage, causing it to enter the wrong lane, according to the report. The driverless car was blocked from navigating back into the correct lane for approximately 30 seconds, according to the Waymo statement. During this time, a police officer initiated a traffic stop.

To clear the intersection, the Waymo vehicle moved forward and pulled into the next available parking lot. The entire incident lasted about one minute, according to the report. Police dispatch records labeled the interaction with “UNABLE TO ISSUE CITATION TO COMPUTER.”


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