They are children All right? They are at least in Waymos, now that a car company began to allow teenagers in Arizona in the Phoenix region to go through special “teen” accounts.
Ultimately, a teenager, open to 14-17-year-olds, could come to all markets in the USA, where Waymo runs taxi robots, as the company says: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, and soon Miami and Washington. In a country where such a vast part of the transport system depends on access to cars – and where many people, including too newborn, to have a driving license, are circumscribed in what they can do and where they can go because of this – the movement of both promises and threatens to re -develop a newborn adult life.
According to Waymo, teenagers and their parents like it so much. The concept of robot cars still scares many people, but Waymo claims that the enthusiasm of customers to self -employed cars has a lot in common with the fears of attribute.
For two years, the company has been testing a up-to-date service in Arizona, starting with the analysis of transport habits, a handful of Phoenix Area families in 2023. At the last stage, scientists, conducted by the WAMO research manager and research by Naomi Guthrie’s clients, conducted interviews with teenagers who took part in a hundred family pilot. In interviews with these participants, Guthrie was hit “The growing anxiety that we see in this generation.”
Youth
Compared to what Guthrie remembered after her teenage years, the children seemed in constant contact with their guardians and almost expect supervision, and applications based on location such as Life360, allow adults in their place. But their movements were also circumscribed by the schedules of these guardians and whether they could hook. Teens with whom interviews had “stranger’s danger”, or fear or mighty preference against interaction with strangers. They were also nervous missing behind the wheel.
“Teens are afraid to lead,” says Guthrie. Community statistics support this to some extent: almost 5 percent of all American drivers were 19 years venerable or younger in 2007According to federal data of the iPhone, according to federal data; until 2023 This dropped to 3.7 percent.
Guthrie says that the worries’ worries also appeared in the opinions and interviews of Waymo. They were stressed by the expectations of contemporary parenting, which include the game at least part -time part -time hours to transfer children to school, and then out -of -school classes. They also worried that their children (and the least risky friends of their children) began behind the wheel. Support also national statistics: teenage drivers 16–19 to three times more likely Be in a deadly disaster than 20 and venerable drivers.
Waymo believes that there is earnest money-“matching the product market”, based on experts for experiences such as Guthrie-is a solution to these many fears.
Walking Solo
Waymo teen accounts are related to adults and, like adults, their relationships can be deactivated if they violate Waymo policies that prohibit the utilize of drugs and alcohol in the car, weapons, vast mess and touching the steering wheel of a vehicle or brakes.
As with anyone who goes to Waymo, teens driving in cars will have access to 24/7 customer service, including agents with whom you can contact the button. Requests of teenage customers in vehicles will be automatically directed to the highest level and the best -trained company agents. Waymo is also able to loop parents in connections with the rider.