\nWitherite: \u2018Safer Than Human Drivers\u2019 Claim Does Not Hold Up Against a Pattern of School Bus Violations, Federal Investigations, and First Responder Failures That No Responsible Regulator Should Ignore<\/b><\/p>
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Even as Waymo aggressively pursues expansion into dozens of American cities, its rollout is facing mounting resistance \u2014 and a safety record that its own advocates say tells only part of the story. Amy Witherite, founding attorney of Witherite Law Group<\/a> and a leading voice for autonomous vehicle accountability, says the gap between Waymo\u2019s safety claims and its real-world performance is exactly why enforceable standards must come before further deployment.<\/p> \nWaymo currently operates in more than ten U.S. cities and has announced plans to expand to as many as 20 additional markets. But that expansion is stalling. New York City let its Waymo pilot expire in March<\/a>, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani showing no interest in revival. New York Governor Kathy Hochul withdrew a robotaxi expansion bill in February<\/a> after it failed to gain support from lawmakers and labor groups. Washington D.C.\u2019s deployment remains stalled in regulatory limbo<\/a>. City leaders in Boston and Seattle are weighing ordinances<\/a> that would ban autonomous vehicles outright, and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System passed a resolution opposing Waymo expansion in January 2026.<\/p> \n\u201cCity after city is hitting the brakes on Waymo, and for good reason. Communities are not opposed to innovation. They are opposed to being used as testing grounds for technology that has not yet demonstrated it can operate safely in all the conditions their residents encounter every day.\u201d\n \nWaymo routinely cites its own data claiming its vehicles are involved in far fewer crashes than human drivers. But federal regulators and local communities tell a more complicated story. The NHTSA has logged 1,790 accidents involving Waymo vehicles<\/a> since July 2021. The company has issued multiple voluntary software recalls, including one in December 2025 after its vehicles were documented illegally passing stopped school buses<\/a> in Austin and Atlanta \u2014 at least 20 documented incidents in Austin alone, including one that occurred moments after a student had crossed in front of the vehicle. A January 2026 incident in Santa Monica in which a Waymo vehicle struck a child<\/a> drew investigations from both NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board. In May 2026, Waymo suspended operations in four cities<\/a> \u2014 Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston \u2014 after vehicles became stranded in flooded streets despite a software recall the company had issued for exactly that problem.<\/p> \n\u201cWaymo\u2019s safety comparisons are built on statistics it compiles and controls. What we know from independent observation is that their vehicles have illegally passed school buses with children present, blocked first responders racing to fatal emergencies, struck a child in a crosswalk, and driven into flooded streets after a recall was supposed to fix the problem. That is not a safety record to build an expansion on \u2014 that is a list of reasons to slow down.\u201d\n \nWitherite has been at the forefront of accountability calls since the May 28, 2025, incident in Dallas<\/a> in which a Waymo robotaxi blocked Dallas County Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda as fire trucks raced to a fatal gas explosion at The Clyde apartment complex in Oak Cliff. Three people died. Banda was forced to manually enter the vehicle and drive it out of the way after a Waymo dispatcher demanded his credentials before acting. Months earlier, a Waymo vehicle blocked an ambulance during the West Sixth Street mass shooting in Austin<\/a> that killed three people.<\/p> \n\u201cEvery time there is an incident, Waymo says it is a learning opportunity and issues a software update. Families who lost loved ones in Dallas and Austin deserved more than a corporate learning curve. The only standard that matters is the one set before a vehicle is deployed \u2014 not the one written after something goes wrong.\u201d\n \nAmy Witherite is available to discuss autonomous vehicle safety, regulatory gaps, and the legal implications of AV incidents. Contact David Margulies at 214-368-0909 or mediainquiries@prexperts.net<\/a>.<\/p> \nAbout Witherite Law Group<\/b><\/p> \nWitherite Law Group is a Dallas-based personal injury firm focused on traffic safety, trucking accidents, and emerging transportation technology. Founding attorney Amy Witherite is a recognized advocate for victims of negligence on Texas roads and highways.<\/p>