A viral video showing an autonomous car belonging to the Pune civic body traveling rapidly in reverse has created quite a buzz on social media. The footage, captured from a car on the opposite side of the street, shows a pick-up truck moving in reverse for over 20 seconds before colliding with a divider. This incident took place late Sunday night, around 11:45 PM, on the Vaiduwadi flyover in Pune. Fortunately, the road was almost empty at that time, and no one was injured.
Reports indicate that the car was associated with the road development division of the Pune Municipal Corporation. Despite the widespread attention the video has garnered, there has been no official response from the civic body as of yet. This event is reminiscent of a tragic incident that occurred months earlier in Pune, where two 24-year-old tech professionals lost their lives. In that case, a 17-year-old, allegedly under the influence, crashed his Porsche into the techies, resulting in their immediate deaths.
#पुणेतिथेकायउणे
— Archana More-Patil (@Archana_Scoope) August 6, 2024
एकीकडे पुण्यातील रस्त्यांची झालेली अवस्था आणि दुसरीकडे महापालिकेच्या रस्ते देखभाल आणि दुरुस्ती विभागाचा हा टेम्पो.. ड्रायव्हर नसतानाही रिव्हर्सने जोरात पाठीमागे जाताना दिसतोय..अत्यंत भयानक आणि जिवेघेणा असा हा व्हिडिओ
वेळ- रविवारी रात्री ११.४५ @PMCPune pic.twitter.com/EmbVUAsKW8
The viral video and the previous incident highlight concerns regarding road safety and the accountability of drivers and autonomous vehicle operators in the city. The lack of an official statement from the Pune Municipal Corporation has left many netizens and local residents seeking answers and reassurance about the safety measures in place for such vehicles. However, most of the social media users are reacting on this video in a funny way and comparing the truck with Elon Musk's automatic car Tesla but such matters are of serious nature and it is glad no injury happened due to it.
Image Source: Twitter