There are many driving scenarios and situations that autonomous vehicles have difficulty dealing with, but unprotected left turns across multiple lanes in heavy traffic are probably among the most difficult to nail, if not the hardest.

Why is that? Well, mostly because it’s a difficult maneuver for human drivers as well, requiring in many cases a direct negotiation with oncoming traffic. When doing an unprotected left turn, you have to yield to all oncoming traffic, so drivers often nudge the car forward to signal to other drivers that they would like to pass.

If they’re lucky, drivers who have the right of way will slow down and let them enter the intersection. Having reached the median, the driver then has to yield to traffic coming from the other side, so the scenario is repeated.

Machines are trying to emulate this behavior, but it’s very tricky for them as they can’t have “eye contact” with other drivers. When an autonomous ride-hailing vehicle is having a difficult time performing an unprotected left turn, it can be a stressful experience for the passengers, as this video shared on social media shows.

@Waymo so this was not good 0/10 almost 💀 AND the seats were sticky when we got in #waymo #fyp #driverlesscar #autonomousvehicle #phoenix To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please contact [email protected]

Taken from the front passenger seat of a Waymo Jaguar I-Pace, the video posted initially on TikTok and then shared across multiple social networks will likely make some people think twice before riding a robotaxi.

The footage shows the driverless Waymo vehicle trying to cross eight lanes of traffic to make a left turn (why couldn't the navigation system find a less dangerous route?), but the maneuvers the self-driving computer attempts are not for the faint of heart.

The vehicle starts inching forward without waiting for a big enough gap in traffic, and this causes unease for the riders. Their gasps quickly become screams and expletives as the Jaguar crosses two lanes and suddenly stops in the middle of the road, blocking oncoming traffic even though it looked like there was enough space for it to get to the median.

Fortunately, vehicles coming from the left eventually stopped and allowed the robotaxi to move forward. Once it reached the median it yielded to oncoming traffic from the other side before merging into the far-left lane when it was safe to do so. This maneuver looked much safer and seamless than the first one, but these riders will probably think twice before hailing a Waymo car again.

jojojojojosie / TikTok

The incident happened on March 7 in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the original video posted on TikTok by user jojojojojosie.

After the video gained traction on social media, the rider was approached by the Waymo Support Team, who acknowledged the incident and refunded the ride. “This is not the type of experience that we’d like to provide to our riders, and we are looking into the matter,” read the message.

Waymo vehicles have been involved in several incidents this year, including passing stopped school buses, colliding with a child, and hindering emergency responders. On January 12, Waymo vehicles were reported passing stopped school buses in Texas despite being recalled a month earlier for similar issues.

On January 23, a Waymo vehicle struck a 9-year-old child near a Santa Monica elementary school during drop-off, causing him minor injuries. Then on March 1, a Waymo robotaxi got stuck and blocked an ambulance after a mass shooting in Austin, Texas. Waymo is currently operating in 10 U.S. cities.

These incidents serve as a stark reminder that full self driving technology is not there yet, even though in certain scenarios it may seem flawless.