A Waymo Zeekr van made headlines for all the wrong reasons after crashing into several parked cars in Echo Park. Video footage shows the vehicle driving up onto an embankment before plowing into the parked vehicles. But before everyone starts pointing fingers at autonomous Technology gone wrong, there’s an important detail to consider.
The van wasn’t in autonomous mode.
The Human Element
Waymo was quick to clarify to CBS that a human driver was manually operating the vehicle at the time of the crash. This is a crucial distinction that completely changes the narrative. We’re not dealing with a rogue AI making split-second decisions that led to disaster. We’re dealing with good old-fashioned human error behind the wheel of what happens to be a high-tech vehicle.
It’s almost ironic. These Zeekr vans are designed to navigate streets without human intervention, yet here we have one crashing specifically because a human was in control. The incident raises questions about testing protocols and driver training for these vehicles, even when they’re being operated manually.
Not Ready for Prime Time
Waymo hasn’t deployed these new Zeekr vans for commercial robotaxi operations yet, which means they’re still in some phase of testing or preparation. This crash happening during what appears to be a testing or delivery phase doesn’t inspire confidence, even if the technology itself wasn’t at fault.
The company says it’s investigating the incident, which is standard procedure. But the fact remains that one of their vehicles ended up on an embankment and crashed into multiple parked cars in a residential area. Whether the autonomous system was active or not, that’s not a great look for a company trying to convince the public that their vehicles are safe additions to city streets.
The Echo Park crash serves as a reminder that no matter how advanced our autonomous vehicles become, they’re still only as reliable as the humans developing, testing, and sometimes driving them. Maybe the real question isn’t when these vehicles will be ready for us, but when we’ll be ready for them.
