Moment ‘driverless’ Waymo car being tested in London careers into a taped-off crime scene – but the firm insists it was HUMAN error
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A driverless Waymo taxi being tested in London crashed into a taped-off crime scene on Wednesday evening, but the firm insisted at the time it was under human control.
The incredible sighting occurred in Harlesden, in the north-west of the capital; here Met Police officers blocked a road following a double stabbing.
As bystanders filmed the police cordon, the white car, designed to be fully autonomous, sped towards the tape, apparently unaware of the police’s flashing blue lights and ‘Don’t Coss’ tape stretching across the carriageway at windshield height.
In the footage, many loud beeps can be heard as the electric car stops.
Two police officers are seen chatting with a person sitting in the car before it reverses.
Driverless cars have been in London since last autumn and are mostly under the control of ‘safety drivers’.
Some are now entirely controlled by artificial intelligence, with a human in the driver’s seat in case of an emergency.
Waymo’s New York spokesman Ethan Teicher told the Mail last night that he was 100% sure the car was being driven manually at the time. He added that the driver involved was suspended.
This is the moment a Waymo car drove directly into crime scene tape, narrowly avoiding a police vehicle before coming to a stop.
Two police officers are seen talking to the driver before the vehicle turns around
Waymo said ‘initial analysis shows that if the car were in automated mode, it would detect the danger and stop’.
The company added: ‘We sincerely apologize for any disruption caused by the verification driver operating the vehicle in manual mode. ‘We take this matter seriously and are working with our operating partner to ensure appropriate measures are taken.’
There are significant concerns about the safety of releasing driverless cars on Britain’s streets and protecting them from a range of modern threats such as cyber attacks.
The vehicles, designed to be fully autonomous with no one in the driver’s seat, are currently being tested in London ahead of a targeted rollout by the fourth quarter of 2026.
The company, a unit of Google parent Alphabet, has grown slowly but steadily in the U.S. over the years despite tough regulations and expensive technology, allowing it to look at growing its presence abroad.
Waymo has partnered with Jaguar, and its fleet of white vehicles is easy to spot thanks to large camera equipment mounted on the top and sides of each car.
The company, which currently operates a fully driverless service in American cities such as San Francisco, Miami and Atlanta, has dozens of vehicles traveling around London for testing and street mapping purposes.
The vehicles, currently being tested in 19 London boroughs, must overcome a range of challenges associated with British streets, including roundabouts and pedestrian crossings.
Dozens of cars are currently being tested in 19 London boroughs and will be launched by the end of 2026
A source told the Daily Mail in November: ‘London has been our focus for a while. In the UK we are starting earlier than people think.
‘There are still some regulatory hurdles to overcome but we are very close to reaching an agreement.
‘First it will be London, then big cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Edinburgh.’
Once launched, customers will be able to hail a taxi via an app, but airport drop-off service will not be available initially.
The company said the prices would be ‘premium’ but competitive and that prices would increase during periods of high demand, similar to existing taxi companies such as Uber.
