A self-driving car was recorded driving directly on a railway track, forcing the passenger to flee in a panic before it continued its path near an oncoming train. A video clip, captured by a bystander near the intersection of Central and Southern streets in the United States, showed the moment the autonomous vehicle stopped on the tracks just seconds before the train's arrival. The passenger quickly exited the car before it resumed its course alongside another train. Andrew Maynard, a professor of emerging and transformative technology at Arizona State University, said he felt a bit of sympathy for the car. "I felt a little sorry for the car, it clearly made a bad decision and put itself in a difficult situation," Maynard said. He added that such incidents are rare but can happen. Waymo self-driving cars are equipped with 29 cameras, and their routes and systems are updated weekly. However, the area where the incident occurred had ongoing construction, and a light rail line was added to the site last year, which Maynard noted as a factor that might have confused the navigation system. "I think Waymo is facing a real challenge because no matter how accurate their systems are, there will always be unexpected conditions they have to learn from," Maynard said. While accidents of this type may raise questions about the safety of self-driving cars, Maynard believes they are likely safer than human drivers. "In many cases, these cars are safer because they are not subject to the distractions that can affect a human driver," he added.
