Despite holding a track record as some of the safest self-driving cars on American roads, Waymo’s robotaxis seem to be veering off course lately.
Earlier this week, Waymo filed a software recall for 3,067 of its 5th-generation vehicles, after the National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the vehicles’ behavior around school busses. In its summary of the recall, the NHTSA said that the “software may cause the vehicle to pass a stopped school bus even when the red lights are flashing and/or stop arm is extended.”
The recall comes after 20 incidents with school buses were recorded in Austin, as well as at least six in Atlanta throughout 2025. While no one has been hurt yet, NHTSA records note at least one case where a Waymo zoomed past “disembarking students.” That’s an immensely serious threat to safety: driving past a school bus with active warning lights and stop arms extended is a major traffic violation in all 50 states, carrying steep penalties for human drivers…