A video shared by The Independent via TikTok shows a driverless Waymo vehicle stopped between the railway tracks and the crossing barrier while a train passes close by in Austin, Texas.
The footage shows the vehicle positioned with the crossing barrier resting on its roof as a train speeds past. The incident reportedly took place on Saturday, and there was no passenger inside the vehicle at the time.
The clip was captured by Tristyn K Donovan and uploaded to TikTok, where it has since gained attention due to the close proximity between the vehicle and the passing train.
Waymo responded to the incident, stating: “Waymo vehicles have safely traversed railroad crossings millions of times fully autonomously.” The company added that the vehicle carried out a “controlled stop” more than 2.5 metres before the tracks after the crossing lights activated as it approached.
DM News Commentary
Footage like this is exactly why driverless technology still divides opinion.
Even if the system technically did what it was designed to do — stopping before the tracks — the optics tell a very different story. To the public, it looks like a car stuck in a dangerous position with a train flying past inches away.
For those of us in the transport world, especially taxi and private hire, it highlights a key issue: real-world environments are unpredictable. Railway crossings, temporary lights, roadworks, human behaviour — these are situations experienced drivers handle instinctively every day.
Autonomous vehicles are improving rapidly, but moments like this show there’s still a gap between “technically safe” and “visibly safe” — and public trust sits right in the middle of that gap.
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