With NTSB joining NHTSA investigation, traffic safety advocate says Senate testimony raises fundamental control and accountability questions

A new trend is emerging in the national debate over robotaxis: escalating federal investigations, tough questions from members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee and mounting data that challenges long-standing claims about the benefits of autonomous vehicles.

“When multiple federal agencies, U.S. Senators and independent safety investigators are raising similar concerns at the same time, that’s not random, that’s a trend,” said Amy Witherite, traffic safety expert and founder of the Witherite Law Group. “It is clear that rosy predictions are crashing into reality.”

The addition of the NTSB, an agency known for in-depth, independent investigations, signals that autonomous vehicle deployment is entering a new phase of accountability.

“The honeymoon period may be ending,” Witherite said. “Safety claims must now withstand federal investigation, crash data analysis and real-world testing, not just marketing.”

Newly released crash statistics involving Tesla’s developing robotaxi program are telling a more complicated story indicating crash rates that exceed those of human drivers, even with in-vehicle safety monitors present.

At the same time, federal scrutiny is expanding. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues investigating multiple incidents where Waymo robotaxis drove passed stopped school buses with their stop signals activated. Now the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched its own investigation a significant escalation that underscores growing concern at the federal level.

“It is clear that when it comes to complex situations such as a stopped school bus, technology can become confused and make the wrong decision,” Witherite said. “These are not theoretical risks. These are real-world environments involving children.”

Waymo made news recently when officials acknowledged that some fleet response operators assisting U.S. vehicles are located overseas. While company representatives stated that vehicles perform the dynamic driving task, lawmakers questioned who influences operational decisions.

“Based on the Senate testimony, we don’t really know who is in control of these vehicles,” Witherite said. “That lack of clarity alone should concern policymakers and the public.”

About Amy Witherite

Amy Witherite is founder of the Witherite Law Group and a nationally recognized advocate for traffic safety reform and responsible transportation policy.

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