Attorney Amy Witherite Warns Autonomous Vehicle Companies “Are Out of Control” After Waymo Refuses to Curtail Operations Near Schoolchildren

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Attorney Amy Witherite, a nationally recognized transportation-safety advocate, today issued an urgent warning that autonomous-vehicle (AV) companies are “out of control,” following Waymo’s reported refusal to curtail service in Austin even after video evidence showed its self-driving taxis repeatedly violating school-bus laws and placing children at risk. Waymo will file a voluntary software recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) but not take its vehicles off the road.

The Austin ISD and its police department confirmed that Waymo’s driverless vehicles have received 20 citations since August for illegally passing stopped school buses with flashing red lights and extended stop-arms a violation of Texas law designed to protect students.

Despite this documented pattern, Waymo declined AISD’s request to halt operations during morning and afternoon school hours. The company announced a voluntary software recall only after the 20th violation. Video of this incident, which has been shown on local television stations and network newscasts.

“If a human driver broke the law 20 times around school buses, their license would be suspended immediately,” said Attorney Amy Witherite. “Waymo’s response was simply: ‘We’re not stopping.’ That is not accountability. That is a corporation telling a school district to live with the danger.”

Witherite notes the company’s own statement admits the software fix may not address all potential problems. “We will continue analyzing our vehicles’ performance and making necessary fixes as part of our commitment to continuous improvement," Mauricio Peña, Waymo's chief safety officer.

Witherite emphasized that Texas law severely restricts municipal authority over autonomous vehicles, preventing cities from enforcing local safety standards or limiting AV operations—even in school zones and other high-risk areas.

The repeated school-bus violations in Austin are part of a broader pattern of autonomous-system failures documented nationwide. Additional incidents include:

• Waymo robotaxi driving into an active police stop in Los Angeles, coming within feet of a prone suspect as officers shouted commands at the vehicle.
• Erratic driving behavior reported in multiple cities, including illegal turns, rolling stops, and confusion at intersections.
• Collisions involving pets and pedestrians, including multiple incidents in San Francisco and Phoenix.
• Documented struggles navigating school zones, emergency scenes, and unpredictable pedestrian behavior areas where safety margins must be highest.

“These aren’t rare cases,” Witherite said. “They are everyday situations that real drivers manage safely millions of times a day. AV companies have not demonstrated that their technology can do the same.”

Waymo frequently asserts that its carefully engineered and meticulously monitored autonomous vehicles outperform human drivers. However, Witherite notes that these claims rely on company-selected data and lack independent scientific validation.

“Waymo talks about safety more than it demonstrates safety,” Witherite said. “We do not allow pharmaceutical companies to approve their own drugs. We should not allow AV companies to certify their own safety claims especially when videos show their technology failing in front of schoolchildren.”

Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana was recently quoted as saying during the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference that “I think that society will” when asked if society will accept a death caused by one of her company’s robotaxis.

Witherite urged Texas lawmakers to revisit the state’s AV regulatory framework and restore local authority to enforce safety protections.

“Frankly, this is the wild west when it comes to autonomous vehicles,” said Captain Matt McElearney of the Austin Fire Department’s AV Safety Working Group. “There is a lot of leeway that they have, and enforcement is very limited on our end.”

“Cities must be empowered to restrict or halt dangerous AV operations, especially around children, schools, and emergency responders,” Witherite said. “Right now, AV companies are effectively unregulated on our streets and Texas families are paying the price.”

About Amy Witherite

Amy Witherite is a nationally recognized attorney, transportation-safety advocate, and founder of Witherite Law Group. She has spent more than two decades representing victims of commercial and roadway negligence and is a leading voice in highlighting the safety, regulatory, and civil-rights implications of autonomous-vehicle deployment.