Waymo Driverless Cars in Texas Catch Riders Napping

I have absolutely no desire to take a ride in a driverless car. Seriously, not being in control of the multi-ton hunk of metal that's zooming down the road is my worst nightmare. There is no possible way I could doze off in one of those things.

That's not the case for the man in the video at the bottom of this article, however.

X/Canva

Waymo Driverless Cars in Texas Catch Riders Napping

Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet, has started offering fully driverless rides in a few Texas cities. The technology uses cameras, sensors, and detailed maps to control the car without anyone touching the wheel.

Recently, videos online have shown riders leaning back and taking naps while the car does all the driving. It’s the kind of thing that would’ve sounded impossible not long ago: a car cruising down the road with nobody actually awake in the front seat.

Get our free mobile app

Waymo hasn’t said much about the viral videos, but the company often points out that their cars are built to handle the road safely. Even so, transportation experts say passengers should still stay alert in case the car needs them to respond to something, even if they’re not steering.

Right now, the sleeping passengers seem more like a funny online trend than something everyone’s doing. But it shows how fast people are adjusting to this new kind of travel. As driverless tech becomes more normal, riders are still figuring out how they’re supposed to act.