CHANDLER, ARIZONA — What was supposed to be a routine ride in a driverless robotaxi quickly turned into a tense moment for a passenger when a Waymo autonomous vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle of a busy intersection. The incident happened in Chandler, Arizona, where a woman’s first experience riding in a Waymo self-driving car took an unexpected turn after the vehicle halted while attempting to cross four lanes of traffic.
Video recorded during the ride shows the autonomous vehicle beginning a left turn across multiple lanes before abruptly stopping in the middle of the intersection.
Driverless Car Freezes in Busy Intersection
According to the passenger, Josephine Cristine Kaufman, the vehicle was attempting to complete a left turn when it suddenly paused in the roadway. The stop occurred while the car was positioned across several lanes, forcing other vehicles approaching the intersection to slow down or stop to avoid a potential collision.
Footage from inside the vehicle shows the steering wheel moving automatically as the system navigates the turn before the car stops mid-maneuver. The unexpected pause created a moment of uncertainty as surrounding traffic continued moving through the intersection.
Passenger Captures the Moment on Video
Kaufman recorded the experience during her ride and later shared the footage online, where it quickly gained attention. In the video, the autonomous vehicle appears to hesitate while attempting to cross the intersection, leaving the car temporarily positioned in the path of other vehicles. After the clip circulated online, Kaufman described the moment bluntly in a post about the incident…