Teens discover their robot taxi is a narc
A Waymo in San Mateo reportedly ratted out two teenagers for drinking and shooting Orbeez from the back seat, proving the driverless future still has a hall monitor.
Nobody is defending underage drinking or shooting projectiles from a moving car. The point is that the car was not just a car. It was a sensor platform with seats, a corporate support team, and enough authority to end the ride and summon armed adults.
The police department continued in the post: “Two 15 year olds up to trouble in a Waymo this afternoon were detained after Waymo reported they were drinking and shooting from the vehicle. After calling us and stopping the car, we were able to safely remove both subjects and determined they were shooting Orbeez from the car as they sipped on afternoon libations while being chauffeured around town in the driverless vehicle.”
In a video posted by the police, several officers approached the Waymo vehicle with guns drawn.
These teens learned a very dangerous lesson: that a robot taxi is not your friend. It is a sensor platform with cupholders and a legal department sensitive to liability.
At least they weren’t drinking and driving-
This is the kind of thing that a non-robotic taxi driver is also in a position to do (and is often considered right to do).
(Now I am wondering what happens if you leap into the back of a robocab and text "follow that car!")