Audio By Carbonatix

Speed can be the difference between life and death in an emergency. That’s why first responders are entrusted with the ability to drive code three with lights and sirens. It’s an understanding with the public that it’s time to stop or move out of the way. But not everyone gets the memo, like this Waymo self-driving car.

A social media video shows a Waymo self-driving cab blocking the path of a fire department heavy rescue truck

Granted, some drivers aren’t paying attention or “freeze up” at the sight of a rapidly approaching emergency vehicle. That said, not every car has a driver anymore. Waymo and other self-driving car services use advanced sensory equipment and AI to make decisions on the go and obey the rules of the road. But sometimes, like so many flesh-and-blood motorists, the system doesn’t respond properly.

In a social media video, a Waymo self-driving taxi cab sits motionless at an intersection on Bryant Street in San Francisco, California. Unfortunately, it was directly in the path of an SFFD Heavy Rescue truck. While a ground guide attempts to direct traffic, the fire truck narrowly maneuvers around the Waymo car.

Now, Google’s support page says the self-driving car knows what to do around emergency vehicles. It says that the autonomous cabs are “designed to recognize police sirens and lights and will pull over as appropriate.” In this case, the self-driving cab must have identified its stopped position as suitable for the emergency services to navigate around it. Not so much. 

Ultimately, the ground guide was able to free up enough space for the Heavy Rescue truck, an aerial truck, and a battalion chief’s SUV to sneak by. But the internet was less than kind. “I was really hoping the truck was just going to bulldoze them out of the way,” one commenter posted.  

Another commenter emotionally responded with, “That company needs to be held accountable. They’re still expanding, when I’m seeing video after video of their cars not working!” Granted, there are videos of a Waymo cab malfunctioning, like this instance of one of the brand’s self-driving cars getting confused by a small roundabout.

However, the internet has a propensity for showing the worst of things. Last month, Waymo celebrated its 10 millionth paid ride. As for the margin of error, the NHTSA reported around 137 “incidents” in Q1 of 2025. Considering Waymo completes around 250,000 rides per week, that’s a very small error rate.  

Check out the short video below!