Waymo cars jam San Francisco streets after July Fourth fireworks display

Several Jaguar I-PACE models were lined up in traffic and one was loaded onto a flatbed truck after a city and county-sponsored fireworks display from the Golden Gate Bridge stranded at least a dozen Waymo vehicles on San Francisco streets on Saturday night.

Waymo attributed the pileup to “major traffic disruptions, a high volume of travelers, and unplanned road closures” that created “unexpected congestion.” The company said its roadside assistance team worked to clear the vehicles and that it is “evaluating ways to strengthen Waymo’s resilience in major traffic disruptions.” Thousands of people had gathered at Crissy Field and the Presidio for the fireworks show, and the roads around the waterfront slowed to a standstill for hours.

Rose Peterson said her Waymo kept driving while someone was setting off a firework in the road, but no one inside was hurt. Dave Guingona said people were yelling at the driverless cars and that Waymo employees did not begin moving the vehicles out until nearly two hours later.

The San Francisco Fire Department handled more than 500 calls for service across the city on July 4. Those responses included four fireworks-related wildfires, numerous outside fires, two life-altering fireworks injuries and a vehicle fire on Connecticut Street that firefighters believe was sparked by illegal fireworks.

A December 2025 power outage knocked out electricity for about 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco and left Waymo vehicles blocking streets and stopping in intersections. Waymo's vehicles are designed to treat nonfunctioning traffic signals as four-way stops.