Driverless Waymo takes passengers into oncoming traffic in Tampa

Matt Reardon and fellow passengers abandoned a driverless vehicle in Tampa. The car traveled into oncoming traffic outside Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. The incident occurred during a Buccaneers game.

Reardon uploaded a video of the ride to TikTok. The car drove north on North Himes Avenue. The roadway had been redirected for southbound traffic during the game.

“Thought we were done for a second there,” the video caption reads. Michael Ripatranzone sent a second recording showing the scene from outside the car.

The vehicle appeared unaware of the traffic change and continued along the route. The passengers exited the car due to safety concerns. A person in the second video shouted, “Guys, like, I’m outta here!”

The empty vehicle blocked a lane. Another bystander in the video said, “Oh, my God, this guy’s is in the way of everything.”

Waymo told WFLA that company officials are looking into the incident. A spokesperson stated that community safety remains of paramount importance.

“In Tampa this week, a Waymo vehicle briefly entered a temporary one-way street before correcting the issue,” a Waymo spokesperson said. “We are looking into this event so we can learn more and improve.”

Autonomous vehicle operators track fleet movements and navigation data during unexpected route changes. Municipalities frequently alter street directions near sports stadiums to control heavy traffic. Companies use real-time incident reports to update autonomous driving software.

This incident follows another wrong-way autonomous vehicle event in Tampa. In July, a driverless Tesla Robotaxi drove the wrong way on a permanent one-way road one day following its launch.