Waymo Passenger Has Terrifying Near-Miss After Self-Driving Car Suddenly Swerves Into Oncoming Traffic

A Waymo passenger says his first ride in a self-driving taxi turned into a frightening near-miss when the vehicle suddenly veered into traffic — a moment he believed was seconds away from a crash.

Chris Riotta Rogers was riding in the back seat of a Waymo on Noe Street in San Francisco on Tuesday, Dec. 9, when the car abruptly pulled out onto the road as another vehicle approached. In video captured from inside the autonomous taxi, Rogers appears to start the ride just before the Waymo moves forward. Almost immediately, he screams as a nearby driver lays on the horn, underscoring how close the situation became.

“I already almost got into a car accident. Oh my God. I am never doing this again,” Rogers said in the video as the danger passed.

Per Storyful, Rogers said it was his first time riding in a self-driving car. He explained that the other driver had the right of way — and that, as a passenger, he had no way to intervene.

“The other car absolutely had the right of way, and there was no way for me to fix the situation,” Rogers told the outlet. “I would’ve been forced to endure a really bad car accident,” he added, describing how helpless he felt in the moment.

The near–collision ended without impact because the other driver reacted in time. “Thank God the other driver was a human being and managed to swerve at the last moment,” Rogers said.

The footage shows Rogers still visibly shaken as the car continues forward, highlighting how unnerving the experience was — especially for someone using an autonomous vehicle for the first time.

The incident also adds to a growing stream of viral clips involving Waymo’s robotaxis, with riders increasingly sharing unexpected or stressful moments from inside the vehicles.

In one earlier situation, a Los Angeles-based tech entrepreneur named Mike Johns said he became stuck in a Waymo that repeatedly drove in circles in a parking lot. In the video, he can be seen growing more frustrated while trying to get help from a support representative over the phone.

“I got a flight to catch,” Johns said in the clip as the car continued looping. He later said he nearly missed his flight and decided he was finished using self-driving taxis.

Other Waymo-related issues have also circulated online, including neighbors complaining that noise became disruptive before the company updated its software.