When an enormous, blaring fire truck with its emergency lights flashing tries to pull into a hotel driveway, human drivers know the drill: get out of the way immediately. But what happens when the car blocking the road doesn’t have a human inside?

 

On September 14, 2026, an empty Waymo autonomous vehicle found itself in a tense, slow-motion standoff with an Austin Fire Department engine. The highly frustrating interaction was caught on video by hotel guest David Munoz, bringing up fresh concerns about how robotaxis handle high-stakes emergencies.