This incident reflects growing public hostility towards self-driving cars, following a pedestrian-dragging accident involving a General Motors' Cruise unit vehicle last year. Similar disruptions have occurred in San Francisco and Phoenix, Arizona. Recently, a driverless Waymo car collided with a cyclist in San Francisco, causing minor injuries. Waymo provides autonomous ride-hailing services in Phoenix and plans to expand to Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.
Key takeaways:
- A Waymo self-driving car was vandalized and set on fire by a crowd during the Lunar New Year celebrations in San Francisco's Chinatown district.
- The incident, which involved a firework being thrown into the vehicle, marks the most severe attack on autonomous vehicles in the U.S. so far.
- No passengers were in the car at the time and no injuries were reported. The San Francisco Police Department is investigating the cause of the fire.
- This incident reflects an increasingly hostile public attitude towards self-driving cars, following several accidents involving autonomous vehicles, including a pedestrian-dragging accident involving a General Motors' Cruise unit vehicle last year.