How will driverless cars handle ‘Michigan lefts,’ harsh weather conditions? Here’s what Waymo said

DETROIT – As a self-driving service heads to Detroit, Michiganders are curious to know how fully autonomous cars will handle its unique road quirks and harsh weather conditions.

Waymo is currently holding services in various major cities on the East and West Coasts. Detroit will be the company’s first Midwest location.

Waymo hopes to have its fully self-driving service in operation in Detroit sometime next year. Starting this week, Waymo cars will be driven by humans to get familiar with the roads.

How will driverless cars handle ‘Michigan left’ turns?

Michigan lefts are also known as indirect left turns. There are tons of intersections in Michigan that do not have traditional left-turn movements. Instead, drivers must continue straight through the intersection or turn right, then make a U-turn at a median crossover.

Although Michigan lefts have been on roadways in the state since the late 1960s, it’s still a foreign concept for anyone unfamiliar with the roads in Michigan.

Jake Tretter, a technical program manager with Waymo, said they will have human drivers test the roads first to get a basic idea of how the streets would work, then slowly transition to a self-driving service.

“Every city has its own unique challenge, so that’s part of the reason we start with human-operated drivers,” said Tretter.

Here’s how to drive a Michigan left.

Can self-driving cars handle Michigan weather?

With Michigan roads comes Michigan weather.

According to Waymo, they have been testing their system in some of the snowiest conditions across the country, including Upstate New York and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Waymo’s 6th-generation Driver is expected to adapt and sustain fully autonomous operations in cities with harsher weather conditions.

Waymo has an office in Novi and has been testing on the roads, so Tretter said the driving service is familiar with the weather conditions in the Great Lakes State.

Tretter said the sensors on the cars are like mini windshields. The sensors have heaters and tiny windshield wipers to keep them clear.