When danger strikes inside a Waymo, the vehicle does something a human driver might not: it stays perfectly calm. Recent incidents in San Francisco and Los Angeles reveal a counterintuitive truth about autonomous vehicles: their lack of human emotion, adrenaline, and survival instinct can actually make passengers safer during physical threats and attacks. As Waymo expands to six U.S. cities, this psychological dimension of robotaxi safety is emerging as a critical advantage that goes beyond traditional crash statistics. What Happens When Someone Attacks a Waymo Passenger? In January, Doug Fulop was riding home in a San Francisco Waymo when a man crossed the street, began screaming, and started punching the vehicle's windows while threatening to kill the passengers. The attacker tried lifting the car and continued hammering on the windows for approximately six minutes. Fulop and his two companions felt trapped, with no way to escape or take control of the vehicle. Waymo's support team told them the company would not manually override the car's safety protocols to drive away while someone was nearby, and that passengers would be safe with the doors locked. This scenario has become disturbingly common in San Francisco, where Waymo has operated for nearly four years. In 2024, another incident showed three women screaming as vandals spray-painted their autonomous taxi. A separate case involved a man attempting to cover the vehicle's sensors while passengers were inside, effectively disabling it. These aren't isolated events; they represent a troubling new urban phenomenon: anti-robot attacks targeting both the vehicles and their occupants. Why Do Autonomous Vehicles Handle Threats Better Than Human Drivers? Technology futurist Anders Sorman-Nilsson experienced this firsthand in Los Angeles when five men on e-bikes surrounded his Waymo and attempted to rob him. The vehicle's LIDAR sensors detected the threat immediately, and the car stopped with its doors locked and approximately 300 exterior cameras recording continuously. Rather than panicking or escalating the situation, the vehicle remained perfectly still. After about five minutes, the would-be robbers lost interest and rode away. "The robot didn't panic. It didn't escalate. It documented everything. It waited. And then the robot drove me home," Sorman-Nilsson explained, noting that a human driver might have reacted very differently under the same circumstances. Anders Sorman-Nilsson, Futurist and Technology Speaker Sorman-Nilsson developed what he calls the "Cortisol Paradox" to describe this phenomenon. When threat levels rise, human fear is contagious; a panicking driver can escalate a situation or make poor decisions under pressure. A machine optimized for passenger safety, by contrast, de-escalates by design. It has no adrenaline, no survival instinct that might override safety protocols, and no emotional volatility that could worsen the situation. For some passengers, this engineered calm is genuinely reassuring. Waymo's own safety data supports this advantage in a broader context. The company reports a 90 percent decrease in serious injury or worse crashes for its vehicles compared with average human drivers over equivalent distances in cities where it operates. While this statistic primarily reflects autonomous driving performance on roads, the psychological safety benefit during confrontations adds another layer to the safety equation. How to Stay Safe During a Confrontation Inside a Waymo - Keep Doors Locked: Waymo's safety protocols automatically lock all doors when a threat is detected, preventing aggressors from forcing their way inside. Passengers should never attempt to unlock or open doors during an active threat. - Contact Emergency Services Immediately: Call 911 and provide your location and description of the threat. Police response is critical to ending the confrontation safely, as demonstrated in multiple incidents where bystanders or law enforcement distracted attackers. - Alert Waymo Support: Call Waymo's support line simultaneously with 911. While the company states it will not manually override safety protocols to drive away if someone is nearby, support staff can monitor the situation and provide guidance while remaining on the phone with you. - Remind Aggressors of Recording: Make it clear that the vehicle has approximately 300 exterior cameras recording continuously. This awareness often serves as a deterrent, as potential robbers or vandals realize their actions are being documented. - Remain Calm and Wait: The vehicle is designed to keep you safe by remaining stationary until the threat moves far enough away. Panicking or attempting to escape on foot may increase danger, especially if the aggressor is trying to open doors or block exits. In Fulop's case, the attack ended when bystanders began cheering on the attacker, which distracted him enough to move away from the vehicle. Once he was no longer directly adjacent to the car, Waymo's safety sensors allowed the vehicle to drive away. San Francisco police arrived shortly after. Are Passengers Actually Safer in a Waymo Than a Traditional Taxi? The answer appears to be yes, at least during confrontational situations. Amina Green, a San Francisco technologist, filmed two men harassing her while her Waymo idled, waiting for them to move. She later reflected that while she felt like "a sitting duck," she still felt safer in the Waymo than in a ride-hailing service with a human driver. She had experienced drivers watching YouTube videos while driving or otherwise making her uncomfortable, situations where a panicked or distracted driver could have escalated her risk. Sorman-Nilsson reached a similar conclusion after his attempted carjacking. "A driver could have panicked and escalated the situation or made me hand over my wallet to the thieves," he noted. Instead, the vehicle's calm, protocol-driven response and continuous camera coverage created a safer outcome. The absence of human emotional volatility, which might seem like a disadvantage, became a genuine safety asset. However, this safety advantage comes with a significant caveat: passengers are temporarily trapped inside the vehicle while threats are present. Waymo's software does not allow riders to jump into a driver's seat and take control during an incident, and the company's policy is not to manually override safety protocols to drive away if someone is standing nearby. This creates a psychological burden that some passengers find unacceptable. What Does This Mean for Waymo's Expansion Plans? Waymo currently operates its robotaxi service in six U.S. cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company just launched in Miami, with 10,000 residents already signed up for the service. Waymo plans to expand to 20 cities this year, including Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, and Washington DC, as well as London in the United Kingdom. As Waymo scales, managing public trust will be critical. The company has tripled its annual trips to 15 million, demonstrating significant market demand. However, anti-robot attacks and passenger concerns about being trapped during threats could undermine this growth if not addressed. Fulop, who stopped using Waymo for a time after his attack, stated clearly: "As passengers, we deserve more safety than that if someone is trying to attack us. This can't be the policy to be trapped there". Katherine Barna, a Waymo spokesperson, acknowledged the January incident as "very unfortunate" but described it as a "rare occurrence." She emphasized that Waymo's support team remained on the phone with riders throughout the incident and reiterated the company's belief that its technology can improve road safety and provide a safer ride overall. The tension between Waymo's genuine safety advantages during confrontations and passengers' legitimate concerns about being temporarily trapped reveals a deeper challenge for autonomous vehicle adoption. The technology works as designed, keeping passengers physically safe through locked doors, continuous recording, and protocol-driven calm. Yet the psychological experience of being unable to escape or take control during a threat creates a trust gap that statistics alone cannot close. As Waymo expands to new cities, how the company addresses this gap may determine whether passengers embrace or resist the robotaxi future.
