Waymo Puts out 14 Minute Video for First Responder Precautions

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Autonomous vehicles are unlike any other forms of transportation on the road. They may look like regular cars, but they're packed with cameras, sensors, and other high-tech equipment that give them their ability to drive without any human assistance. 

While this may be a good thing for companies looking into robotaxis and people that are tired of driving, the technology in autonomous vehicles presents an interesting challenge for first responders. That's why Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving arm, has come out with an extensive 14-minute training video on how first responders can best handle any incident that involves autonomous vehicles.

Waymo Helps Gives Responders A Guide

Earlier this month, Waymo, with some help from Arizona fire and police responders, released a training video for first responders. In the lengthy video, Waymo addresses and explains what kinds of challenges responders may face when dealing with a driverless car. But, as just a few companies have autonomous vehicles on the road, the video also explains a few basic concepts.

For one, the guide explains how responders can spot one of Waymo's cars. This may seem like an easy thing to do, but companies are continually updating their vehicles with new technology, so having a handy guide of what to look for should make things easier. The guide also gives responders an idea of how to contact Waymo to switch the vehicle into manual mode, which will make it easier for responders to move. Then, there's a section on how to cut off the vehicle's power.

After watching the video, Waymo's hoping that responders have a better idea of how to deal with the company's vehicles in a "wide range of collision and other emergency scenarios."

Guides Should Become Mandatory

With Phoenix acting as Waymo's primary location for its autonomous testing, it makes sense that the company sought the help of first responders in Arizona. The company recently started an autonomous robotaxi service in the state, so the video comes at a good time.

Since Waymo has been using Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids as its primary vehicles for testing, the guide predominantly focuses on that vehicle. But Waymo has also been using Jaguar I-Pace SUVs as its testing vehicles in a few locations. We're sure the information that it put out in the video will carry over to any other vehicles that the company introduces in the future.

With more companies looking to put autonomous cars on the road and some companies even starting to get self-driving vehicles onto the market, now seems like a good time as any for every company to come out with a guide on how to interact with their autonomous cars.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods