Waymo has stopped developing features that required drivers to take control in dangerous situations, as autopilot reliance left users prone to distractions and ill-prepared to maneuver. The decision followed experiments of the technology in Silicon Valley that showed test users napping, putting on makeup, and fiddling with their phones as the vehicles traveled up to 56 mph. Waymo has also debuted driverless vans that hint at autonomous ride-hailing services.



The company decided to focus solely on technology that didn’t require human intervention a couple of days after the napping incident, said Krafcik, who joined as CEO in 2015. It has also since argued against allowing “handoffs” between automated driving systems and people. “Our technology takes care of all of the driving, allowing passengers to stay passengers,” the company said in report this month.

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