Waymo's autonomous vehicles struggled to stop at school buses in Austin despite months of training and software updates, raising questions about their ability to learn from experience.

Their failures included passing stopped buses with flashing lights while children were still crossing the road. Despite a half-day data collection event hosted by the school district, incidents continued, highlighting technical challenges in recognizing emergency signals.

Missy Cummings, an expert on autonomous vehicles, suggests that such blind spots are common and could worsen without prompt fixes. Waymo did not respond to requests for comment, while the Austin Independent School District and NTSB continue their investigations.

The situation underscores the need for ongoing improvements in self-driving technology to ensure safety on our roads, especially where human lives are at risk.