Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: San Francisco bicyclist sues over crash involving 2 Waymo cars
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2025 22:55:46 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Lines: 35
Message-ID: <103d43i$1k0r2$12@dont-email.me>
References: <87h6062ngd.fsf@mothra.hsd1.ma.comcast.net>
Reply-To: frkrygow@gmail.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Injection-Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2025 04:55:46 +0200 (CEST)
Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="9b8004e70f5c549370227305ac03ffb8";
	logging-data="1704802"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org";	posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1+ETBtcLPEzRLObqIqkCDomjPp+dvnoYEA="
User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird
Cancel-Lock: sha1:q0seuTVnmWMGmFs5eUDe8g/d1cE=
In-Reply-To: <87h6062ngd.fsf@mothra.hsd1.ma.comcast.net>
Content-Language: en-US

On 6/23/2025 4:49 PM, Radey Shouman wrote:
> Seems the initiating incident was a dooring by a Waymo passenger on the
> driver's side.  I don't know how this is handled with human drivers, can
> a driver be cited for failing to control a passenger?  After that the
> cyclist alleges a second Waymo cut her off while heading for the curb.
> At that point
> 
>     The bike hit the first car’s open door, ejecting the cyclist, and she
>     was thrown into the passenger side of the second car. She suffered
>     "serious" injuries and was taken to a hospital by ambulance, the
>     complaint says.
> 
> 
> https://www.siliconvalley.com/2025/06/10/san-francisco-bicyclist-crash-waymo/
> 
> I have never seen a Waymo operating, and can't judge how dangerous they
> might be compared to human drivers.

I recently spent a week in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. I saw quite 
a few Waymos and rode my bike near several of them. I never saw any 
misbehavior in any circumstance, but I'm sure that there could be 
situations not adequately anticipated by programmers, by AI, etc.

Just as there are situations not adequately anticipated by human drivers!

I suppose one factor is whether they are a net improvement over humans. 
Another important factor is, when they do screw up, how easy is it to 
get compensated?

Although I do think that in general, the U.S. is "compensation heavy." 
Sometimes bad stuff just happens. It doesn't necessarily mean you should 
get paid.

-- 
- Frank Krygowski