But Waymo’s rules are quite clear: No drug or alcohol use is allowed inside its robotaxis, “regardless of whether permitted by local law.”
Then again, the two teens broke a few of Waymo’s other rules, too. For one thing, unless you’re 18 or older, you’re supposed to be accompanied by an adult. You’re also not allowed to throw anything from the car—which presumably includes shooting toy guns out the window—and weapons are also not allowed.
And while the teens might have known their weapon was only a SplatRBall gel bead shooter inexpertly painted black, it obviously looked enough like a real gun when seen via the robotaxi’s internal cameras to set off alarms. (Waymo says it may review in-car video under certain circumstances and that “in more urgent circumstances, Support may access live video during a trip,” so there is no presumption of privacy while riding in one.)
Indeed, as the police noted, “While there was some ingenuity to this scheme, toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye. The simple handling of them can cause fear in passerby’s or to those who don’t get a good look. Shooting projectiles at speed can cause real damage. And lets not forget the underage drinking. All bad ideas today for these two.”
However, the department did hand it to the teens for at least avoiding a DUI.
