Waymo would have sent security drivers back to his autonomous cars

Over the last few weeks, Waymo has put safety drivers back in the driver's seat of its more advanced vehicles, which have been operating without a driver for a long time, and at its entire fleet, the company has added co-drivers to its crews. day as well as its night shifts. The co-drivers are part of Waymo's efforts to keep its safety drivers on alert, and L & # 39; information reports that the company has also installed drivers' face cameras to monitor when they could fall asleep.

In June, a safety driver appeared to fall asleep while he was driving one of Waymo's Pacifica, which caused an accident after inadvertently deactivating the driving software.

Waymo has also appointed Deborah Hersman to the position of Security Officer. Hersman, who was formerly President of the National Transportation Safety Board, will join Waymo in January and focus on promoting safety throughout the Waymo Fleet. "I've dedicated my career to promoting safety in our communities and I'm joining Waymo because of its potential impact on reducing injuries and deaths on the road," she said in a statement. .

Waymo is preparing for an autonomous taxi service in Phoenix, and according to some reports, it could be launched next month. But these additional safety precautions could mean that this is not the case. President and CEO John Krafcik said at a conference held this month that the service might not be open to all Phoenix residents at the launch and that a driver in charge of the safety could be driving. "It's a very long trip, it's a very complex technology and we're going to take our time," he said.