Detecting and responding to a sideswipe

A vehicle sideswipes an Aurora Driver-powered truck on the freight route between Fort Worth and El Paso.

Operating at scale means navigating more than just the typical scenarios we see daily while hauling loads for our customers—we also need to handle rare situations such as collisions with other vehicles.

In this video, the Aurora Driver detects an incoming vehicle and plans to move away from it by entering the shoulder of the road. The vehicle continues to veer toward our truck at over 65 miles per hour, colliding with the left side of our trailer. The Aurora Driver recognizes the collision immediately, and the onboard vehicle operator takes control, safely decreasing speed and pulling over. When deployed without a vehicle operator, the Aurora Driver will execute this response autonomously while a Command Center Specialist contacts first responders.

After confirming the safety of our team, we shared information about this incident with law enforcement, partners, and regulators. All of these actions align with our organizational preparation for scenarios like this.