A viral TikTok clip is doing the rounds after capturing a bizarre standoff between two Waymo self-driving cars on a narrow side street in San Francisco.
The short video — described by the uploader as “10 minutes of amusement” — shows both driverless vehicles meeting head-on in a street that realistically only allows one car through at a time. With no human driver to make a quick judgement call, both Waymos appear to hesitate, repeatedly trying to edge past each other before eventually taking far longer than a manually driven car ever would.
The clip has been nicknamed “Waymo Chicken” by viewers, referencing the classic driving game of who backs down first — except here, neither vehicle seems willing (or able) to decisively give way.
DM Commentary
This clip is funny to watch, but it also highlights one of the real-world challenges facing driverless taxis — especially in older cities like San Francisco, and even more so in the UK.
Human drivers deal with situations like this every day using eye contact, hand gestures, common sense, and sometimes just a bit of courtesy. In tight side streets, one driver will usually reverse, tuck in, or wave the other through within seconds.
Autonomous vehicles, however, rely on rules, sensors, and decision trees. When two driverless cars meet in a situation that isn’t clean-cut, things can grind to a halt — as this video shows. Multiply that across busy urban areas with parked cars, delivery vans, cyclists, and impatient traffic behind them, and delays quickly add up.
For the taxi and private hire trade, this raises a bigger question: even if robotaxis work well on wide, grid-style roads, how will they cope consistently with narrow streets, awkward layouts, and unpredictable human behaviour? Clips like this suggest there’s still a long way to go before driverless taxis can truly replace experienced drivers in complex real-world environments.
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