Are Driverless Cars the Way of the Future or Do They Pose a Serious Risk?

Autonomous vehicles were once just a concept. Now, according to Yahoo Finance, driverless cars are one step closer to going mainstream.

Waymo LLC, an American autonomous driving technology company, formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, has been offering 24/7 rides in San Francisco and Phoenix. The company is “making it safe and easy for people and things to get around — without the need for anyone in the driver’s seat,” according to its website.

Waymo also claims that The Waymo Driver is “The World’s Most Experienced Driver with millions of miles driven through countless situations on public roads, and billions more in simulation.”

Cruise has also made a name for itself as another autonomous driving technology company. Cruise offers nightly rides in three U.S. cities including San Francisco, Austin and Phoenix.

These companies, however, have been the subject of controversy since regulators approved robotaxi companies to operate in some cities. Several of Cruises’ vehicles, specifically, have been blamed for multiple collisions and massive traffic jams.

Most recently, a pedestrian was found trapped underneath a driverless car operated by Cruise in downtown San Francisco. “A human-driven vehicle struck a pedestrian while traveling in the lane immediately to the left of a Cruise AV,” Navideh Forghani, a spokesperson for Cruise, told CNN. He added that the AV “braked aggressively to minimize impact” while the driver of the other vehicle fled the scene.

The pedestrian reportedly has multiple life-threatening injuries. According to the San Francisco Fire Department, this is the first incident where a serious bodily injury has been caused by an autonomous vehicle.

Cruise is working with law enforcement to help identify the responsible driver in the accident.