Waymo passenger fled self-driving car after it got stuck on train tracks

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Footage shows a passenger running from a Waymo self-driving car after it mistakenly drove onto train tracks as a train was approaching. The car had just merged onto the newly laid tracks and continued moving forward.

Self-driving cars have become incredibly popular recently. Inspired by Tesla’s success, companies like Nvidia and Mercedes-Benz are now collaborating to create their own AI-powered vehicles.

The concept of using AI to eliminate driver mistakes and make perfect decisions sounds great in theory. But early attempts haven’t quite lived up to expectations.

A Waymo passenger experienced a problem on January 14, 2026, when their self-driving car got stuck on train tracks in Phoenix, Arizona. Because the vehicle has no human driver, there was no one to immediately fix the situation.

Waymo car gets stuck on train tracks in Arizona

A local resident’s video showed a passenger exiting a car onto a busy road because the vehicle – which was self-driving – had mistakenly driven onto train tracks with a train approaching.

After the passenger got out of the Waymo car, it didn’t stop and kept moving forward, heading toward an approaching train. Other cars around it stopped and drivers watched in surprise.

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First Alert 6 reports that this light rail track was built recently – within the last year. This new construction may have caused the self-driving car to mistake it for a normal street.

According to a spokesperson, light rail workers had to intervene after a car stayed on the tracks for several minutes. To prevent a crash, trains traveling in both directions swapped passengers and then backed up to resume their routes.

In the end, officials reported no major holdups, and the car was removed from the tracks in under 15 minutes.

According to Waymo, their self-driving cars have been involved in 411 fewer crashes that cause injuries, which is an 81% decrease since they first started operating.

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2026-01-15 07:19