Self-driving Waymo cars have arrived in Denver.
Right now, they’re mapping out the city with a human driver, prepping to go fully autonomous sometime next year. They’ll pick up and drop off passengers, in some cases replacing Ubers, Lyfts and taxis.
Their presence on the roads is raising big questions: Are they legal? How will they be policed? What do I do in the case of a collision?
For one: They are regulated the same way human-driven cars are, and they are required to follow the law.
“As Colorado law reads, if Waymo can follow all the traffic laws, it can operate in our state,” said Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. “All vehicles must follow road and curbside rules (posted and non-posted).”
Other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta, have already rolled out Waymo, and in each place, policymakers have responded to issues as they arise.
The company claims its vehicles are safer than human drivers – and that’s not hard to imagine on the road around Denver, where it’s common to see drivers staring at their phones, lighting up a bowl or just looking half asleep. At least 60 people have been killed by drivers in Denver this year alone.
Waymos can’t get drunk — though one was pulled over for an illegal U-turn recently in San Bruno, Calif., during a DUI enforcement effort.
What happens when a Waymo you’re riding in collides with another car?
If you’re riding in a Waymo and it’s in an accident, the vehicle should automatically inform the Waymo Support team, which will review and confirm the crash with you. (If it doesn’t go through, you can contact Waymo support the old-fashioned way.)
You should call 911 if you’re injured.
“If you feel it's important, you can exchange information or document the collision,” according to the Waymo website. “Our on-site support will also document it to ensure insurance details are captured. Our main focus is getting you to your destination safely, and we will help you hail another vehicle to get there.”
Waymo does provide limited medical coverage in case of injuries.
What if you’re in a collision with a Waymo that is driving with no humans inside?
If you or somebody is injured, call 911. Move to a safe location to exchange information.
“The Waymo vehicle may continue driving to reach a safe spot to stop, but look for our dome light signal, which indicates that the Waymo Driver is aware an event has occurred,” the website states.
A spokesperson for Waymo said the windows would roll down automatically, and you could talk to the support team.
Or just call Waymo at 1-844-263-9885 to notify the company about the collision, fill out a form at waymo.com/notify, scan a QR code on the vehicle’s front doors and contact [email protected] for insurance cards.
Eventually, Waymo roadside assistance will show up on the scene. Those will be real people, not robots.
What is the city’s role in all of this?
Autonomous vehicles like the Waymo fleet are not highly regulated in Colorado or Denver.
State law allows autonomous systems like Waymo’s to operate freely in Colorado as long as the vehicles are “capable of conforming to every state and federal law applying to driving.” It generally bans cities from setting their own policies. The companies only have to submit their vehicles for testing if they aren’t fully capable of following traffic laws.
Since the vehicles are not currently driverless, the city has time to explore how crashes, vehicular homicides and other potential issues are handled, DOTI’s Kuhn said.
When Waymo began exploring an expansion into Denver, the company reached out to the Denver Police Department.
“We are aware of their rollout plan, which will include drivers in all their vehicles for the initial phases and there is a protocol for handling crashes that we will ensure all of our personnel understands as the rollout begins,” a DPD spokesperson wrote. “Further, we will collaborate with Waymo who has already developed a community education platform to assist community with awareness.”
DPD didn’t comment further.
How are you feeling about Waymo coming to town? What questions do you have? Write [email protected].
