Attorney and traffic safety expert Amy Witherite says a report by public safety and transportation officials in California warns that the expanded deployment of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles poses a significant hazard to public safety. Waymo and Uber plan to bring these vehicles to Atlanta this summer.
The report by fire, police and transportation officials in San Francisco concludes that “Giving Cruise & Waymo authority to expand at their discretion does not serve public safety.”
“With billions of dollars at stake and a race for industry leadership, it is more important than ever that cities and states take the initiative in setting standards for autonomous vehicles,” said Amy Witherite, traffic safety expert and founder of the Witherite Law Group. “Very few industries are given the opportunity to police themselves. This report shows that these vehicles can pose a real danger to public safety.”
In 2023, San Francisco police documented 50 written reports involving Waymo or Cruise autonomous vehicles, along with nearly 600 incidents of unexpected stops between 2022-2023. The report warns that these sudden stops by driverless AVs pose serious risks to public safety and emergency response operations. Examples include:
- Blocking entrances to fire stations
- Obstructing emergency vehicles in transit
- Making contact or near misses with personnel or equipment
- Disrupting active police operations
- Displaying unpredictable operations near a response zone
According to the report, when autonomous vehicles stop unexpectedly or block emergency vehicles, they endanger public safety. “Every second can make the difference between life and death. A fire’s size can double in one minute. Time is muscle when responding to heart attacks.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instituted an investigation into Waymo after “Reports include collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains, collisions with parked vehicles, and instances in which the ADS appeared to disobey traffic safety control devices. In certain incidents, a collision occurred shortly after the ADS exhibited unexpected behavior near traffic safety control devices.”
The report from San Francisco warns “Increasing interference from driverless operations will undermine already stretched resources.”
The report also notes that public safety agencies will have to train on each type of automated vehicle because there is no industry standard. It warns that while automated vehicles have a way to communicate with a control center “human traffic control officers cannot safely leave an intersection to talk with remote advisors about just one vehicle.”
“It often takes a tragedy before government agencies will act,” said Witherite. “We appear to be repeating that same mistake with this new technology.”
The Witherite Law Group specializes in vehicle accident cases and offers crucial support for individuals involved in accidents with driverless vehicles. For more information visit their website. www.witheritelaw.com.
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