There’s a common horror movie trope that no matter how frightening the monster may be, humans are the real monsters. Some Arizonians have taken that to heart, as they’re sending their children to school in autonomous robot cars to avoid potentially dangerous interactions with a human Uber or Lyft driver. According to AZ Family, parents are putting their unaccompanied teenagers in driverless Waymo taxis, despite it being against Waymo’s rules.
As a parent, I mostly understand that. Stranger danger, right? People can be weird and unpredictable, which is why many parents teach their kids not to talk to strangers. So why would we let strangers drive them around?
“I have a little sister. She’s 15. I know kids have been using Waymo over Uber, which I think is a good thing,” a Phoenix resident told AZ Family. “I have heard many times of even adults, females especially, getting into an Uber car and having to have that experience—I don’t want to say creepy—but a creepy or uncomfortable experience.”
The idea of a kid having a creepy experience in a car, alone, with a stranger is deeply uncomfortable. Especially when Uber had to pay a $4.4 million settlement during a federal investigation into sexual harassment. However, in Uber’s defense, there is a specific Uber Teen program designed to shuttle teenagers around as safely as possible. It has features that allow parents to live track the car wherever it goes and provide constant updates, it prevents the driver from making changes to the destination, and it can even keep the phone’s microphone on so that the in-car audio can constantly be monitored. Teens can even call the police or emergency services from the app. Still, the discomfort is understandable.
However, I get the flip side, too. Leaving your child’s safety in the digital hands of an autonomous taxi can also be nerve-wracking. Arizona State University professor Andrew Maynard, who studies autonomous cars, understands why parents would be more willing to trust Waymo.
“I think if you’re sensible about this, you could see how a teenager could be very responsible in a Waymo,” he told AZ Family.
Waymo isn’t perfect, as its vehicles have crashed on their own before and even been disabled by people putting traffic cones on their sensors. Waymo is also clear that underage passengers aren’t allowed to be in its cars unaccompanied. If parents are using their account to hail their teenager’s rides and they’re caught, Waymo can cancel their account. Waymo is reportedly looking into a teenage program for this very circumstance.
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