Robot, take the wheel: What you need to know about autonomous vehicles rolling out across the U.S.
Regardless of what happens to that directive, Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, says that industry groups like AVIA have floated suggestions for regulatory standards. He hopes industry groups bring more consumer advocates, academics, and independent safety researchers into the standard-setting process.
“We’re not really guaranteed anything coming out of that process other than what the industry’s version of what safe is,” Brooks says.
By Rebecca Ruiz
February 20, 2025
If you haven’t seen a driverless autonomous vehicle circling your city or neighborhood block yet, that may change in the very near future.
Waymo, the industry-leading robotaxi company, currently operates in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and is coming to Atlanta and Austin via an Uber partnership later this year. Waymo has also made exploratory “road trips” to more than 25 other cities in a quest to become what it calls “the world’s most trusted driver.”
Other AV companies, like Zoox and May Mobility, are on the road, too.
This may leave many wondering whether a transportation revolution is underway, especially as consumers’ personal vehicles gain more autonomous features, like Tesla’s self-driving — but supervision-required — vehicles. But the reality is far more complex, with tension between the technology’s promise and how it’s playing out in the real world.
First, let’s get one thing straight: There is no car that you can buy from a dealership today that’s fully self-driving, says Jeff Farrah, CEO of Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA).
Yes, that includes Teslas. While the company’s CEO Elon Musk recently said he planned to release an unsupervised version of the car’s full self-driving software later this year, drivers currently need to closely monitor their vehicle when engaged in FSD supervised mode.
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