Waymo Self-Driving Car Veers into Oncoming Lane in Austin; Passengers' Emergency Calls Met with Slow Customer Service

Recently, Austin resident Tyler Crawford experienced a harrowing incident while riding in a Waymo autonomous taxi: the vehicle entered a construction zone and unexpectedly veered into the opposite lane, heading straight toward oncoming traffic. Crawford immediately recorded a video of the incident and called Waymo’s customer service for help, but encountered poor communication and difficulty getting transferred to the right representative—taking over five minutes before receiving any meaningful assistance. Although he had previously been a loyal Waymo user, Crawford admitted this experience left him deeply unsettled. This incident is not isolated. Over the past two years, there have been multiple reports from various locations of Waymo vehicles mistakenly entering wrong-way lanes. While Waymo emphasizes safety as its top priority and explains that complex road conditions may sometimes necessitate unconventional detours, public skepticism continues to grow regarding the company’s emergency response protocols and the reliability of its technology. The video has since garnered over 1.6 million views, prompting numerous users to share their own negative experiences. Some commenters bluntly declared, “I’ll never ride with Waymo again.”