3 Waymos Trap Each Other and Block Traffic in San Francisco

On 8 December 2025, a bizarre video captured two days earlier appeared on TikTok in which three Waymo driverless automobiles ended up in a tangle in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood at the corner of Kearny and Vallejo Streets. In the footage, two of the Waymos appear to be at cross-purposes with each other with one pointed uphill and the other stuck partway through an attempt at a three-point turn while a third facing the opposite direction is rendered unable to move downhill, blocking a residential driveway. Inevitably, traffic in both directions was obstructed. 

Fortunately, a service worker soon came and directed the Waymo car stuck in its turn to back out of the jam, clearing the way for the other two.

Although Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, set out to increase the safety and efficiency of ride-sharing by theoretically removing human error from driving through taking the human out of the equation, the company has made an embarrassing and dangerous nuisance of itself with mishap after mishap.

The incident in March 2023 in which a San Francisco resident walking his dog was nearly struck by a Waymo taxi making an illegal left turn and the resulting standoff seems to be the tip of the iceberg. Less than a year later, a cyclist in Potrero Hill was struck by a Waymo vehicle while following a large truck, sustaining minor injuries. According to Hillstone Law, in April 2025, a pedestrian in the Chinatown neighborhood was injured when a Waymo car rolled through a crosswalk following a red light glitch. Even more recently, in late October 2025, a Waymo car struck and killed KitKat, a beloved tabby cat that was a fixture of Randa’s Market on 16th Street in the Mission District. A month later, a Waymo car ran over a small dog at the intersection of Scott and Eddy streets in the Western Addition.

According to information gleaned from Hillstone Law’s website, reports from San Francisco officials show that self-driving car collisions have increased by 30% compared to 2023. The law firm also notes that San Francisco’s steep hills, tight intersections and unpredictable mix of cars, bikes and pedestrians create conditions that challenge even the most advanced self-driving systems.

Although Waymo and its vehicles are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Motor Vehicles, District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder has been pushing for additional regulation from city authorities. California State Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), who is also chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee also calls for legislation to have local agencies regulate and monitor self-driving automobiles. In a statement given to Al-Jazeera published 8 December 2025, Cortese declares, “Waymo is operating in something of a laissez-faire environment right now. My sense is that Waymo’s ability to grow without legislation will not last too long. I just hope it doesn’t take a tragedy for it to happen.” 

Of course, many people rightfully believe that the untimely death of KitKat should be more than enough of a tragedy to indicate that it is past time for Waymo to be held sufficiently accountable, do better, operate more responsibly and quit cutting corners with its programming. After all, machines are only as smart as the people who build and program them.