TEMPE — A Waymo self-driving vehicle was involved in a crash near Southern Avenue and McClintock Drive early Friday morning, according to the Tempe Police Department.
Detective Greg Bacon said the Waymo vehicle was traveling eastbound on Southern Avenue "in the lane closest to the two-way left turn lane" when it was rear-ended by another vehicle.
Police say the Waymo vehicle was traveling at approximately 35 miles per hour, while the vehicle that hit it was traveling at approximately 40 to 45 miles per hours.
Two Waymo employees were in the vehicle when their self-driving car was struck. Waymo released the following statement following the crash:
"One of our self-driving Waymo vehicles was rear-ended this morning in Metro-Phoenix by a human driver. Thankfully no one was hurt; there was damage to both vehicles. Waymo’s mission is to make our roads safer and we’ll continue our efforts to prevent accidents such as this one."
The other vehicle was being driven by an adult woman with two young children in the car.
No injuries were reported.
Though impairment was not a factor in the collision, police are working to determine if distracted driving caused the crash.
