Waymo called on the carpet for emergency scene responses
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers interact with a Waymo robotaxi near a rollover crash in Austin. Photo: Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images
The Trump administration is simultaneously loosening federal rules to accelerate AV deployment while also slapping robotaxis for getting in the way of first responders during emergencies.
Why it matters: It's a reflection of how government regulations aren't keeping pace with the emerging technology. Self-driving cars are here, but uniform safety standards are not.
Driving the news: The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is sounding the alarm over what he calls "a disturbing trend" in recent months: AVs interfering with police, ambulances and fire trucks.
- In a letter to AV developers on July 8, Administrator Jonathan Morrison issued a stern warning to the industry, but there's no mistaking that his target was Waymo, which has driverless operations in 11 U.S. cities, and four more coming soon.
Zoom in: Morrison cited instances in which AVs drove into active emergency scenes, blocked the paths of ambulances and firefighters, or failed to recognize and respond to basic safety conditions like flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire and traffic cones.
- The letter comes after several high-profile incidents involving Waymos and first responders.
- "Let me be clear: The inability to detect and appropriately respond to such situations represents a functional insufficiency. Emergency scenes are not rare or extreme 'edge cases'" that can be blamed on a software anomaly, Morrison wrote.
- He's giving companies until the end of the month to explain how they will fix the problem.
Morrison noted that human drivers who impede emergency operations are subject to fines and even jail time, but it's not clear how NHTSA will punish AV companies for the same infraction.
The intrigue: NHTSA has not launched a safety investigation into the issue as it often does for similar concerns.
- Instead, the complaint is coming directly from the administrator, whose agency has otherwise been working feverishly to clear away regulatory hurdles for AVs.
What they're saying: Trial attorneys are calling for more accountability from Waymo.
- "Every time there's a bad night for Waymo, the company calls it an isolated incident," said Amy Witherite, founder of Witherite Law Group.
- "At some point, a pattern isn't isolated anymore — it's a track record," she said. "The question cities need to be asking isn't whether Waymo apologizes fast enough. It's whether these vehicles have earned the right to keep testing on streets full of pedestrians, cyclists, and families."
Waymo declined to comment.
What we're watching: AV companies either have to improve their technology to handle such dynamic situations or employ more remote emergency response staffers who can jump into action to quickly get vehicles out of the way.
