Waymo caught on camera stalled by puddle on Austin road
Waymo stalls at puddle in Austin
A Waymo was caught on camera stalled on a downtown Austin road due to water over the road.
AUSTIN, Texas - Heavy rain is causing some concern on the road for self-driving cars.
A Waymo was caught on camera stalled on an Austin road due to water.
Waymo stalls on the road due to puddle in Austin
The backstory:
In a video shared with FOX Television Stations, a Waymo was seen on North Lamar just south of 5th Street blocking traffic.
The apparent cause? Water over the roadway.
Waymo stalled by puddle on North Lamar
A Waymo got stuck on North Lamar near 5th Street due to water over the road. (Courtesy: Dani Tristan)
"You need a human being behind the wheel to determine all the situations that can occur," said Kelly Reich, visiting Austin.
Witnesses say human drivers in the next lane had no trouble getting through, but the autonomous vehicle didn’t take any chances.
"I'm not surprised at all. And I would be a little upset about it, especially if I was in that traffic, trying to go around that thing. And I'd be a lot more upset if I was in the car wondering, okay, this car does not know what to do. What do I do? I'm stuck here," said Kelly Reich.
FOX 7 Austin reached out to Waymo for comment on the Austin situation, but have not heard back.
Dig deeper:
Just last month an unoccupied Waymo in San Antonio was washed away into a waterway.
A Waymo spokesperson says the vehicle has been recovered, and the company is refining its operations and flood monitoring mitigation plans.
Service in San Antonio was paused out of a precaution but is expected to resume soon.
"Drivers should remember that flooded roads are dangerous, even when the water doesn't look deep, right? So just one foot of rushing water can actually carry away many vehicles, and two feet can carry away larger vehicles like SUVs or pickups," said Armbruster.
Floodwaters across Central Texas
What they're saying:
"One of the most common weather-related risks that we face here in Texas is wet weather," said Daniel Armbruster, AAA Texas spokesperson.
Rain causing problems on the roads and waterways across Central Texas.
"We were hoping for better weather, but you can't predict it, so we're going to make the best of it. We're walking around. We've got a little hoodie on to cover the rain," said Rick Reich, who is visiting Austin.
In San Antonio, the floodwaters turned deadly.
Police say one person was found in high water near Furnish Avenue and south San Marcos. Firefighters initiated a high water rescue, but the person was pronounced dead at the scene.
The person has not been identified at this time.
Another drowning happened in late April after a man was holding onto a tree limb in Salado Creek. San Antonio fire attempted a water rescue, but the man died.
Closer to home, the rain forced temporary closure of access to the Comal River for recreation on Friday, May 1.
Officials warned the river can be dangerous with strong currents, underwater debris, and depths reaching up to 20 feet.
"The most important thing you can do in the rain is just slow down, avoid flooded roads and if you can't tell how deep that water is, don't risk it. The old saying Turn Around, Don't Drown. We say it for a reason; it saves lives," said Armbruster.
The Source: Information in this report comes from viewer video, Waymo, and interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King