Recently, a video has been circulating on social media showing a “standoff” between three Waymo self-driving vehicles on the streets of San Francisco. An artificial intelligence (AI) expert mentioned that this incident has exposed a weakness in autonomous driving vehicles.
The video, posted on TikTok on December 6th, depicts one Waymo driverless car heading uphill in a residential street, lightly colliding with another Waymo vehicle seemingly exiting a driveway. The two cars then stopped in the middle of the road, blocking the third Waymo car trying to go downhill.
“It’s like a standoff of Waymo cars,” a man in the video expressed. He mentioned being blocked by the third Waymo car as he was trying to leave his garage. “I just want to get out of here,” he said.
A spokesperson from Waymo confirmed the incident in an email to the Epoch Times, stating that two driverless Waymo cars had a minor collision while maneuvering in a congested alley for a multi-point turn. The road assistance team towed the vehicles back and manually returned them to the garage.
The video was shared by user chii_rinna and has garnered over 4.4 million views, showcasing the aftermath of the accident.
Ahmed Banafa, a professor at San Jose State University, specializing in the fields of Internet of Things, blockchain, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, told the Epoch Times that this incident is not a hazardous failure but highlights the lack of “social instincts” in autonomous driving vehicles compared to human drivers.
Banafa emphasized that while Waymo’s safety systems functioned as intended, the incident revealed a deficiency in handling capabilities when autonomous vehicles interact with other autonomous vehicles in complex situations.
“Humans use subtle clues like eye contact and body language to navigate such scenarios, whereas autonomous vehicles rely on rigid rules, leading to hesitation or confusion when multiple autonomous vehicles encounter each other,” he explained.
He pointed out that the design principle of autonomous vehicles aims to avoid risks, which can sometimes result in being overly cautious.
“However, excessive caution in narrow spaces might lead to hesitation or minor collisions,” he said. “Each vehicle operates independently to ensure safety, but close encounters can trigger confusion.”
This is not the first time autonomous vehicles have blocked roads. On November 15th last year, a video shared on Instagram showed two Waymo cars being blocked by an Amazon delivery truck on a street in San Francisco, with another Waymo car from the opposite direction attempting to overtake, causing a fourth Waymo vehicle to be stuck behind.
“What should we do now?” a woman in the video questioned. “Several Waymo cars in a standoff, what will happen next?”
Another incident occurred on April 16th last year, initially disclosed through a Reddit post. Six Waymo vehicles blocked the up ramp of Highway 101 on Potrero Avenue in San Francisco. Drivers of the blocked vehicles had to get out, move traffic cones to navigate around the Waymo cars obstructing the road, to continue their journey.
According to CNBC, as one of the leading suppliers of autonomous driving systems, Waymo vehicles recorded over 450,000 paid trips per week as of December 8th, nearly twice the reported 250,000 trips per week in April.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that from July 2021 to November 17, 2025, Waymo vehicles reported over 1,400 traffic accidents.
However, these statistics do not distinguish whether the accidents involved human-driven vehicles or were related to other autonomous vehicles. ◇