Grieving locals in Austin, Texas call for self-driving cars to be banned after robotaxi runs over beloved duck

Residents of near Mueller Lake Park in Austin, Texas, have called for the banning of Avride self-driving cars, (and other autonomous vehicles) in their area after one of them struck a beloved duck, resulting in the waterfowl’s untimely demise.

The incident was shared by a witness in a local Facebook group for the area: “I saw an Avride self-driving car, with a person in the driver’s seat not touching the wheel, run over and kill a duck near the park,” reads the social media post. According to the poster, the vehicle “didn’t slow down or hesitate at all, just steamrolled right through.” Meanwhile, the person in the self-driving car didn’t seem to notice.

According to the witness the car also ran straight through a stop sign and almost hit their car before it fatally struck the duck. The local community is fond of the ducks residing in the park, so naturally such a violent death for one of these beloved birds has caused quite a bit of upset. 

One person commented underneath the post, “This makes me so sick. Wish we could get them banned from Mueller.” This is also supposedly not the first time a duck has been killed by a robotaxi either, perhaps these vehicles aren’t as safe as they seem.

Calls for self-driving cars like Avride to be banned

The incident has raised concerns over the safety of these vehicles, and locals have since demanded that self-driving cars be banned. “I don’t really like driverless vehicles,” said Ada Dang, a frequent visitor to the park, adding, “This driverless vehicle has not stopped at a stop sign, and then killed a wildlife that we all know and love.” Dang argued that there should be more safety protocols put in place for the cars.

Yulia Shveyko, a spokesperson for Avride, stated that the incident was being investigated and that the company had temporarily adjusted operations in the area. “The trust and safety of the communities where we operate is our highest priority,” they said, “We are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the reported incident, including wildlife collision, and reviewing the available data.”

Of course, Avride isn’t the only company to face scrutiny for its vehicles slaughtering small animals. Last year, Waymo came under fire after one of its self-driving cars ran over a neighborhood cat in San Francisco. Many doubt the safety of driverless cars, and incidents like this prove their point. They may be pretty good in general, but they are far from perfect and even the smallest error on the car’s part could result in death, be it duck, cat, or human.