London’s Driverless Taxi Flouts Red Light En Route to Royal Honour
In a peculiar turn of events, one of London’s pioneering driverless taxis was captured on dashcam footage running a red light while transporting the chief executive of its parent technology firm to Buckingham Palace. The executive was on his way to receive a prestigious honour for his contributions to artificial intelligence.
Alex Kendall, the CEO of British startup Wayve, shared the video on social media, seemingly unaware that his autonomous vehicle had committed a traffic violation in the heart of the capital. The footage was shared alongside a photograph of Mr. Kendall receiving his OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) from the Princess Royal. He posted the video after numerous requests to witness the autonomous journey to the Palace, describing it as an “impressive drive without intervention.”
The video chronicled Mr. Kendall’s journey towards the royal ceremony, navigating through areas such as Victoria Embankment and Parliament Square. As the vehicle approached the busy intersection at the south-west corner of Parliament Square, it came to a halt behind a white stop line. The scene depicted a bus positioned over the stop line, having advanced beyond it due to slow-moving traffic ahead.
At this critical juncture, the traffic signal for that particular approach to the junction transitioned from green to red. However, as the traffic congestion began to ease, both the bus and the Wayve car proceeded forward through the intersection. While this manoeuvre is a clear breach of traffic regulations, the footage suggests it reflects a common human driving behaviour in similar congested situations.
Following the incident, Wayve acknowledged that its vehicle had indeed run the red light. The company clarified that its vehicles are currently in a “prototype” stage and stated that a thorough review of the incident would be conducted. A company spokesperson emphasized that all journeys are accompanied by “trained safety operators in the driver’s seat” for continuous monitoring. They further stated, “We acknowledge that the more appropriate action would have been to manually take over the vehicle and keep it stationary until a green light was visible again.”
The legal ramifications for running a red light in the UK include a £100 fine and the accumulation of three penalty points on a driver’s licence. This incident has raised questions regarding accountability and enforcement for autonomous vehicles.
Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, voiced concerns about the implications for professional drivers. He pointed out that London taxi drivers can have their licences revoked upon accumulating six penalty points. McNamara questioned the policing of these autonomous systems and who would be held responsible for any infractions, including the issuance of penalty points.
In a separate development, human rights lawyer Cherie Blair has suggested that driverless cars could potentially offer a lifeline to women seeking to escape abusive relationships. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Mrs. Blair highlighted how these vehicles could reduce risks, noting that “male drivers can be a risk for women.” As an ambassador for the domestic abuse charity Refuge, she expressed her hope that driverless cars could be “integrated with domestic abuse charities.”
