A recent incident in Los Angeles has brought to the forefront questions about liability and safety protocols in autonomous vehicle incidents. On December 27, a Waymo robotaxi and a Serve Robotics sidewalk delivery robot collided at an intersection in West Hollywood, as captured in a video circulating on social media.

The footage shows the Serve bot attempting to cross the street and navigate onto the sidewalk, when it was struck by the Waymo robotaxi making a right turn. According to the person who posted the video, the Serve bot had allegedly run a red light before the collision, although this is not clearly visible in the footage.

In response to inquiries from TechCrunch, a Waymo spokesperson clarified that the Waymo Driver system correctly identified the delivery robot as an inanimate object and took evasive action. The Driver is designed to prioritize the safest driving path and is programmed to be more cautious around children and pedestrians. In this instance, the Waymo robotaxi applied hard braking before making contact with the delivery robot at a speed of 4 miles per hour.

Fortunately, neither autonomous vehicle was damaged, and the two remained locked for a minute before going their separate ways. However, the incident raises important questions about what happens when autonomous vehicles collide, and how companies decide which party is liable in the event of damage.

According to Waymo, when a collision occurs, the Waymo Driver notifies the company's Fleet Response and Rider Support teams. The Fleet Response team reviews the scene remotely and dispatches a roadside assistance representative if needed, while the Rider Support team checks the status of the riders and contacts first responders if necessary. In this instance, it is unclear whether the Fleet Response team was alerted to the collision or if human assistance was required to resolve the situation.

A Serve spokesperson confirmed that this is the first instance of one of its bots colliding with a robotaxi and stated that the bot was under remote supervisor control at the time of the incident, as part of Serve's playbook for intersection crossings. Despite requests for clarification, both Waymo and Serve were unable to provide concrete answers on specifics around liability in the case of future incidents that might result in more damage.

However, spokespeople from both companies have confirmed that they are in touch and working to avoid similar issues in the future. As autonomous vehicles become increasingly prevalent on public roads, incidents like this highlight the need for clear guidelines and protocols around liability and safety.

The incident serves as a reminder that the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles require careful consideration of complex scenarios and edge cases. As the industry continues to evolve, it is crucial that companies prioritize transparency, communication, and cooperation to ensure the safe and responsible integration of autonomous vehicles into our transportation ecosystem.