Google, as well as its project Waymo, has reportedly removed its monthly reports page that detail public road accidents or mishaps involving its self-driving cars, the Business Insider reported. And now, the page that used to host the accident reports is now redirected to Waymo's official website.
"We've replaced our PDF reports with a new blog and website that continues to give insights into our technology," a spokesperson from Waymo told Business Insider. "In addition, our team puts together reports that are published on the CA DMV website detailing safety-related disengages in the state and collisions we've experienced on the road."
The page used to feature monthly accident reports in an effort to assuage increasing concerns about the safety of driverless cars that Google has been testing in California. Aside from accidents and collisions, it also included updates and information about the latest development of the company's self-driving cars.
On the other hand, Jessica Gonzalez, a spokesperson from California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), clarified that Waymo is required to submit a monthly accident report to the state's DMV but not to the public. And these reports are published on the state department's official website. Such policy is required wherever state Waymo is conducting its tests.
Meanwhile, Amazon has been recently awarded a new patent for a technology network that would permit driverless cars and truck to navigate on lanes that best fit their needs.
Amazon's "roadway management system" could help navigate or control self-driving cars on the road, with factors such as speed, destination, time of the day, number of occupants, and flow of traffic, taken into consideration. The new technology also allow cars to detect reversible lanes.
While many automakers fiercely compete to establish its stronghold on the self-driving cars market, regulators also grip for major transportation changes that are about to unfold.