Alphabet’s Waymo Probed by US After Autonomous Car Incidents (1)

The top US auto-safety regulator opened an investigation into Waymo, the autonomous-vehicle subsidiary of subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., after 22 incidents in which the company’s cars were involved in collisions or may have violated traffic laws.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defect Investigation opened a preliminary evaluation after receiving reports that Waymo vehicles crashed into objects including gates, chains and parked cars. The agency also cites instances in which the company’s automated-driving system appeared to disobey traffic-control devices.

NHTSA said its initial reviews indicated that Waymo’s system either was engaged throughout the incidents, or ...