Men Stall Waymo Driverless Car to Catcall Female Passenger Inside

https://www.pcmag.com/news/men-stall-waymo-driverless-car-to-catcall-female-passenger-inside

by rosaleia000 • 2 years ago

37 32 2 years ago

Simulacra• 2 years ago

Are the doors unlocked? Could these men have open the door if they wanted to? If so, that would make these extremely dangerous vehicles. Stop the vehicle, open the door, commit a crime against the occupants, and run away.

dekhn8• 2 years ago

The fact that the car was self-driven doesn't really affect any of this (the press just likes to publish rabble-rousing articles about Waymo because it gets clicks). Taxi drivers don't defend their customers on a regular basis.

selbyk• 2 years ago

In this case, the driver would also be a victim and perhaps not stop for the people acting suspiciously, or try to drive off as soon as a threat is identified.

latexr4• 2 years ago

The fact that the car was self-driven doesn't really affect any of this

Of course it does, watch the video. For one, having another person in the car might have made them behave differently. For another, a human could have safely driven around them. Plus, I doubt they’d be as eager to be douche bags in front of a car if they weren’t as sure they wouldn’t be hit.

Nicksil5• 2 years ago

The fact that the car was self-driven doesn't really affect any of this

That's a bit ridiculous. Of course it does; how many people do you know are OK with some random dudes making an ass of themselves in the middle of the street, blocking your right-of-way?

Should probably also disclose you work for Google when making such a statement about one of its products.

grugagag• 2 years ago

The fact that the car was self-driven doesn't really affect any of this

Not sure if I follow. If I were driving I’d feel somewhat in control. But alone on the backseat somewhat more vulnerable. Without a driver in some situations even more so. In the moment I’d hope the drivers doors were locked but how to know for sure?

silisili• 2 years ago

Even if they don't defend their passengers, they like nearly all humans are interested in self preservation. If this person had presented a gun or other imminently dangerous situation, a taxi driver would surely flee. Would a self driven vehicle?

JumpCrisscross• 2 years ago

fact that the car was self-driven doesn't really affect any of this

Not fundamentally. But therein lies the solution.

A driver would have yelled at and presumably threatened the young mean. The Waymo, in turn, could chastise the men over loudspeaker before turning it over to a remote human being who can remind the men that they’re being recorded.

That said, a driver can credibly threaten to impact someone threatening them or ram a car in a way self-driving vehicles cannot.

AStonesThrow• 2 years ago

No. Waymo automatically locks the passengers in when they press "Start Ride".

I am unsure whether doors can be opened while in motion, unless you've issued a "Pull Over" command, but I suppose that I could find out!

Typically, it takes a double-pull on the inside handle to open the door, just for safety's sake.

Also whenever these hijinks occur, you're strongly urged to contact Support immediately, and they are empowered to dispatch a human agent and/or emergency services.

In terms of the context-free social media post which spurred this rabble-rousing article, I'd say that other bystanders are more likely to intervene and fight off the aggressors, than joining in seemingly random harassment of seemingly innocent women. It's probably already illegal to stand in the middle of a moving traffic lane just to impede its flow, yeah?

heroprotagonist• 2 years ago

"I was afraid more men would crowd around which thankfully didn't happen"

Is that really a common thing? Men see a woman getting harassed nearby, so they all scurry over to join in?

You'd think people would be more likely to either help or do nothing, if they saw what was happening.

yieldcrv• 2 years ago

In that part of San Francisco it always feel like a mob of zombies could wake up

But, no, it isnt a thing

Interestingly, someone in my comment history here said Waymo will be more appealing to woman than Uber’s drivers until criminals figure out that they’re sitting ducks. That was 20 days ago.

Men Stall Waymo Driverless Car to Catcall Female Passenger Inside

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