Woman Hops Into Waymo Driving the Wrong Way at Drive-Thru

Incident raises concerns about public trust in autonomous vehicle safety.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 7:17pm

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of the sensors and cameras on a self-driving Waymo vehicle, with the car itself obscured in the background, conveying the complex and potentially vulnerable nature of autonomous driving technology.Autonomous vehicle technology faces ongoing trust issues as unexpected incidents raise concerns about safety.Los Angeles Today

A woman in Los Angeles called a Waymo self-driving vehicle on Friday, and when it arrived to pick her up, the car barreled through a drive-thru, going the wrong way. Fortunately, there wasn't another car there, although it looks like another car was about to make the turn around the corner to the drive-thru window. The woman's son filmed the bizarre situation and posted it online, joking about the craziness, but the woman still hopped in as if everything was normal.

Why it matters

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges autonomous vehicle companies face in building public trust and demonstrating the safety of their technology, especially in high-traffic urban areas where unexpected situations can arise.

The details

According to the report, the Waymo vehicle was driving the wrong way through the drive-thru when the woman's son filmed the incident. While the son joked about the craziness, the woman still got into the vehicle, indicating a willingness to ride in an autonomous car even when it appears to be malfunctioning.

  • The incident occurred on Friday, April 4, 2026.

The players

Waymo

An American autonomous driving company and a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.

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What they’re saying

“God, Mom, be safe!”

— The woman's son

The takeaway

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges autonomous vehicle companies face in building public trust and demonstrating the safety of their technology, especially in high-traffic urban areas where unexpected situations can arise.