A California couple endured a harrowing 20-second ordeal when their self-driving Waymo robotaxi malfunctioned and sped through a highway construction zone. The company offered them $120 in free rides as compensation for the life-threatening experience, but Elliot Slade, the man involved, expressed uncertainty about ever riding a robotaxi again.
The Terrifying Incident
The couple was traveling back to their Mission District home when the Waymo began behaving erratically. As they approached a merge point, the vehicle started to malfunction. Slade described the scene: 'The Waymo started freaking out as we got closer to the merge cause the lanes were kind of all merging. One lane was gone, another lane was, who knows where it was. Cars were all over the place going in.'
Initially, they believed it was a minor glitch and began recording videos. However, their fear escalated as they realized the severity of the situation. 'The scariest part, we're all like OK, something's happening. We're just going to pull over, we're going to be safe. Then it accelerated to highway speeds down this construction lane,' Slade recounted.
The vehicle ignored construction signs, flashing lights, and police presence in the distance. 'That's when I looked at my fiancée, we're done. This is it. We're dead. We're going to die right here in the Waymo,' he said. The Waymo sped up for approximately 20 seconds before exiting the highway and pulling over in a residential neighborhood.
Waymo's Response
After the vehicle stopped, a Waymo representative contacted them. Slade recalled the conversation: 'She came on the line and said from what I could see, it seemed like a stressful experience. What do you want to do next? I was like we want to get out. They're like do you want to continue the journey; I was like absolutely not.'
Waymo had begun freeway operations in November 2025 in four cities: San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Miami. In a statement, the company said: 'Safety is Waymo's top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with. We have temporarily paused freeway operations, as we work to integrate recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon.'
Aftermath and Concerns
The couple felt completely helpless during the incident. 'You can't jump into the seat. No one was picking up. It was going at 70 mph on this construction lane into what we thought were like trucks. And police and everything. I was like what can we do. We can't even open the door. What do we do at this point?' Slade said.
This incident raises questions about the safety of autonomous vehicles, especially in complex driving scenarios like construction zones. While Waymo has paused freeway operations to address the issue, the couple's traumatic experience highlights the challenges of relying on self-driving technology.
