Must Be a Waymo,” Locals Joke as Struggling Driver Fails to Exit Narrow Alley for Half an Hour
LOS ANGELES — Onlookers couldn’t help but laugh and mutter, “Must be a Waymo,” after witnessing a visibly confused driver spend over 30 minutes unsuccessfully trying to reverse out of a narrow alley on Monday afternoon.
As the car awkwardly attempted the same failed three-point turn at least 10 times—accompanied by the driver shouting profanities at himself—bystanders likened the scene to an autonomous vehicle meltdown. “They say self-driving cars are the future, but clearly they’re still not ready for tight situations like this,” said witness Gia Zelaya. “This thing keeps doing the same robotic motions over and over. It’s either a Waymo or someone with zero spacial awareness.”
Critics watching the spectacle pointed out the dangers of testing advanced driverless technology in real-world scenarios. “Sure, they work fine on open roads, but the moment something unpredictable happens, they glitch,” added another observer. “It’s like they’re running on loops with no real intelligence behind the wheel.”
As the car slowly scraped its bumper along the alley wall, spectators questioned the legal and ethical implications of autonomous cars operating in public. “These companies are experimenting on us,” one said. “Maybe in five or ten years they’ll be safe—but until then, I trust a human driver more than this robot panic box.”
Despite the awkward scene, some onlookers gave credit where it was due: “Honestly, I was impressed by how human the car sounded while crying.