Waymo issues a massive recall after its robotaxis were caught committing the one cardinal sin that could lead to absolute chaos near every school in America

Waymo is issuing a voluntary recall and software update for its robotaxi fleet after a serious investigation revealed its driverless vehicles have repeatedly committed the cardinal sin of passing stopped school buses, according to The Hill. This is a massive safety failure and, honestly, it’s one of the most critical issues a self-driving car can face.

The recall won’t require the company to pull cars off the road entirely, but it mandates a software update to fix this dangerous programming flaw. This action comes after an investigation found that Waymo’s driverless vehicles were illegally driving past school buses that had their stop arms extended in Austin, Texas.

If you’ve ever driven near a school, you know that when that stop arm comes out, you absolutely have to stop. It’s non-negotiable because children are actively crossing the street. The Austin Independent School District, which is understandably alarmed, said that similar incidents have happened at least 19 times just this current school year.

Waymo’s antics have already rung alarm bells across the regions where the robotaxis have launched

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, recognized the seriousness of the issue and opened an official investigation back in October. The evidence against the autonomous vehicles is pretty damning. Cameras captured one shocking incident in November where a Waymo car briefly stopped, but then moved forward while a student was still in the middle of crossing the road. The bus’s stop arms were out the entire time the vehicle moved.

Other videos reviewed showed Waymo vehicles either completely driving past the buses or stopping right alongside them instead of maintaining a safe distance behind. It’s truly worrying that in six of the reviewed videos, children could actually be seen in the frame while the violation occurred. While we can be thankful that no injuries have been reported so far, parents and law enforcement officials are rightfully raising bright red flags about the safety programming within these Waymo vehicles.

Wayne Sneed, the Austin Independent School District police chief, emphasized how vigilant they need to be about this problem. He said, “There are other districts that are being potentially impacted by these operations as well. … We want to be very vigilant about it.”

Atlanta Public Schools also recorded similar stop-arm violations. They reported at least six incidents between May and December. One of those Atlanta incidents is now actively under investigation after a Waymo vehicle reportedly failed to stop for a bus that had its red lights flashing and the stop arm fully extended. The Waymo incident in Los Angeles, where it drove straight through an active standoff, is another in the list.

Currently, Waymo primarily operates in California, Arizona, and Texas, though Georgia has been a major testing ground for the technology. Waymo CEO’s own admission also revealed safety issues with the robotaxis. With such serious concerns coming to light, you’d think they’d pump the brakes on expansion, but they aren’t. Waymo is planning to expand into three more major Texas cities next year: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

Hopefully, this mandatory software update fixes this critical flaw before they roll out their robotaxis to more busy school zones across the state.