Attorney Amy Witherite Warns Waymo is Coming to Atlanta This Year Despite Serious Incidents in Other Cities

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Attorney Amy Witherite, a traffic safety expert whose firm specializes in motor vehicle accidents, notes there is more evidence that self-driving cars pose serious safety hazards. From Washington to San Francisco, incidents highlight that self-driving cars and trucks have not been perfected and continue to pose a serious safety hazard.

“This unproven technology is being tested on our streets and highways, putting the public in danger,” said Amy Witherite, founder of the Witherite Law Group and an expert in traffic safety issues. “If self-driving cars pose a danger to the public, one can only imagine the damage a driverless 18-wheeler can cause in similar circumstances.”

Recently David Zipper, writing about autonomous cars for Bloomberg in San Francisco, noted:

“The greatest challenges have been interactions at scenes like a police incident or building on fire. When the autonomous vehicles get confused, they become immobilized and get in the way. We had many such issues.

Autonomous vehicles also have a hard time interacting with humans who direct traffic at busy intersections. The vehicles get confused, particularly during special events and motorcades. They are also flummoxed at construction sites. A Waymo vehicle just a few days ago drove into wet cement.”

“There are presently few if any standards for autonomous vehicles at the state or local level,” notes Witherite. “There is more oversight and regulation for the person who cuts your hair than for cars and trucks that have already demonstrated they can wreak damage to life and property.”

According to a CBS report, a Los Angeles tech entrepreneur became trapped driving around in circles in an unhinged self-driving vehicle for so long that he nearly missed his flight.

Mike Johns was heading to the airport in a self-operating “Waymo” taxi on his way home from Scottsdale, Ariz., last month when the rogue vehicle began driving in circles, causing him to make a panicked call for help.

“I got a flight to catch. Why is this thing going in a circle? I’m getting dizzy,” Johns said to a Waymo customer service representative from the backseat of the spinning vehicle, according to a video the unlucky traveler posted on LinkedIn.

Geoffrey A. Fowler of the Washington Post recently noted that Waymo robotaxis often don’t yield the right of way when he is crossing the street at a marked crosswalk.

“When I try to cross my street at a marked crosswalk, the Waymo robotaxis often wouldn’t yield to me. I would step out into the white-striped pavement, look at the Waymo, wait to see whether it’s going to stop – and the car would zip right past.

“It cut me off again and again on the path I use to get to work and take my kids to the park. It happened even when I was stuck in a small median halfway across the road. I documented more than a dozen Waymo cars failing to yield in the span of a week.”

“It is clearly time for more government oversight and strict accountability and standards for autonomous vehicles,” said Witherite. “Lives are at stake.”

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.