Why Waymo cars set on fire were sitting ducks during L.A. protests

Five vehicles owned by Google’s self-driving spinoff Waymo were set ablaze last Sunday during protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Engineers working on self-driving technology have given a lot of thought to difficult questions over the years, including how to keep pedestrians safe and how to avoid collisions with other vehicles.

But last weekend’s protests in Los Angeles threw a spotlight on one of the thorny problems that remain for autonomous vehicles: what to do about arson, vandalism or other physical attacks.

Five vehicles owned by Google’s self-driving spinoff Waymo were set ablaze last Sunday during protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Images and video of the flaming cars quickly went viral, illustrating for a global audience how vulnerable robotaxis can be in volatile situations.

For all their advanced technology, including expensive cameras and sensors, the cars seemed to be defenseless. Waymo says the five cars were in downtown Los Angeles to serve passengers when they were attacked. There were no drivers to plead for mercy, and with crowds surrounding the vehicles, there was no escape path that didn’t include threatening pedestrians — something Waymo vehicles are programmed not to do.

“They’re very much sitting ducks,” said Jeff Fong, who has worked at tech companies including Lyft and Postmates and now writes a newsletter about cities and technology.