Kim Ollerhead of Scottsdale, Arizona, said she and her 6-year-old twins who require booster seats had a safe experience in a Waymo.Kim Ollerhead
Kim Ollerhead let her 6-year-old twins who require booster seats ride in a Waymo.Ollerhead, a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident, said the experience felt fun and safe.For now, Ollerhead said she doesn’t see too many reasons to reguarly use Waymo for her family.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kim Ollerhead, a 43-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona resident and mother of two twin children. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
Waymo has become a frequent sight around our neighborhood in Scottsdale, Arizona.
For the longest time, I kept seeing those white, driverless Jaguars in our city — so much so that my kids and I started playing a game where we count how many Waymos we spot in a day.
I took a few rides in a Waymo last summer by myself and was really impressed by the response time of the autonomous driver whenever it detected a nearby pedestrian or cyclist.
After that experience, I decided to surprise my twin children, William and Emerlyn, for a short Waymo ride on their sixth birthday last year. They’ve been asking to ride in one for some time, asked so many questions about it, and they both finally weighed enough to sit in booster seats.
My kids loved it.
I called a Waymo to take us to a restaurant for dinner about four miles away from our house.
Just like any Waymo ride, the car pulls up with your initials lit up on the LIDAR sensor that sits on the roof of the car. My kids thought that was hilarious.
Installing the booster seat in the Jaguar was super easy. There’s two latches on each booster seat and I just tighten them like I would if I was putting them in my car.
Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACE has latches to attach booster seats, Ollerhead said.Kim Ollerhead
I can’t say that I would want to call a Waymo if my kids were a few years old and I still had to use a baby car seat, because moving those seats are a pain.
My kids were shocked, but a happy shocked, when the Waymo took off.
They were a little nervous at first. But that changed when they saw how the Waymo came to a stop at a stop sign and successfully made its first big turn.
I don’t think they got used to the fact that there was no driver. Throughout the entire ride they were so excited and had so many questions like, "What is it doing? What is that?"
It was a short ride to the restaurant. The car pulled over, I made sure to unbuckle my kids, and we all waved goodbye to the Waymo.
The kids loved their first ride. They wanted to take Waymo to school. They asked how old they have to be take a Waymo by themselves to school.
They even joked: "Mom, can you just pretend you’re not here? Can you just not talk to us so we can pretend like we’re in a driverless car?"
I’m like, "Yeah, sure."
The few times I’ve been in a Waymo, I’ve had mostly safe experiences.
The only reason why I’d hesitate to take a Waymo is because of horror stories I’ve heard about Waymos making strange maneuvers on the roads. There was also one experience when I was with my sister where the Waymo tried to overtake another car in front of us and we couldn’t figure out why it was doing so. That made me a little nervous.
Even then, my family and I took a few Waymos after that experience and everyone was impressed with how the Waymo navigated tough situations, like driving through busy parking lots.
I don’t think Waymos will be a part of my kids’ daily experience. We’re constantly on the go, and I wouldn’t call a Waymo to, say, attend soccer practice because of all the stuff I have to fit inside the car.
Also, where we live, nothing is close by so you’re jumping in the car and driving 10 to 15 minutes wherever you go. And a lot of mom life is just being a taxi — going to soccer, going to the dance, going to this competition and that — so a lot of the times it’s just easier to be in your own car.
I could definitely see a situation where I would call a Waymo for my kids when they get older. For example, I could see myself calling a Waymo to give them a ride to and from a friend’s house.
A Waymo spokesperson told Business Insider that riders must be 18 years or older to ride in a Waymo vehicle alone. Passengers 17 years or younger must be accompanied by guests.
I also know some of the "cool moms" who have babysitters were talking about how they love using a Waymo so they don’t have to wake up their kids just to drive the babysitter home. They just call a Waymo for the babysitter.
So it’s not like the Waymo ride was a once in a lifetime experience for my kids. I definitely wouldn’t rule it out.
Read the original article on Business Insider
{Categories} _Category: Inspiration{/Categories}
{URL}https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-ride-experience-with-children-parenting-ridesharing-booster-seats-2024-12{/URL}
{Author}lloydlee@insider.com (Lloyd Lee){/Author}
{Image}https://i.insider.com/67661d2763b028ed846a0c24?format=jpeg{/Image}
{Keywords}Transportation,waymo,parenting,trending-news-holiday-save-2024{/Keywords}
{Source}Inspiration{/Source}
{Thumb}https://i.insider.com/67661d2763b028ed846a0c24?format=jpeg{/Thumb}