Los Angeles City Council Evaluates Stricter Regulation of Self-Driving Vehicles Amidst Safety Concerns
The LA City Council will discuss regulating self-driving vehicles, including endorsing state bills for more local control and access to testing data, following incidents involving Waymo vehicles. The Los Angeles City Council is considering measures to tighten the regulation of self-driving vehicles amid safety and operational issues. The recommendations include the endorsement of three state bills that would grant cities greater authority to regulate autonomous vehicles (AVs) and access to valuable testing data. These steps were introduced from a motion introduced by council members Traci Park and Bob Blumenfield last November. The focus on local governance in the oversight of AVs has been highlighted by recent incidents involving a Waymo vehicle hitting a gate at USC and an incorrect drop in injury-causing crashes compared to those driven by humans. Despite these challenges, Waymo has stood firm on its safety performance.
Published : 11 months ago by Jake Rodriguez in Auto
The Los Angeles City Council is set to ponder measures to tighten the reins on self-driving vehicles amid growing concerns about their safety and operational issues. In an upcoming Tuesday meeting, council members are slated to address recommendations, including the endorsement of three state bills that would grant cities like Los Angeles more authority to regulate autonomous vehicles (AVs) and access to valuable testing data, according to ABC7.
These steps, originating from a motion introduced last November by council members Traci Park and Bob Blumenfield, are meant to not only oversee but also to directly influence the trajectory of autonomous vehicle deployment within city limits. The importance of local governance in the oversight of AVs has been spotlighted by recent incidents. As reported by NBC Los Angeles, a mishap involving a Waymo vehicle struck a gate at USC, while another report exposed a Waymo car erroneously stopping to drop off passengers in front of active driveways.
Despite these hiccups, Waymo has stood firm on the safety performance of its technology. According to the company, its vehicles have demonstrated an 85% drop in injury-causing crashes and a 57% decrease in crashes reported to police when compared to those driven by humans, based on data from over 7.14 million miles of rides in areas including Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco, as per ABC7.
Waymo's expansion, which started with tests in October 2023 and eventually led to the launch of its Waymo One service across a sizable portion of Los Angeles from Santa Monica to downtown, has given rise to new operational challenges. "Waymo had been testing some of its vehicles in Los Angeles since October 2023, and company officials have said more than 15,000 such rides occurred during that time," as mentioned by CBS News. This move by the California Public Utilities Commission to authorize the company's expansion has thus put the spotlight on existing regulations, or the lack thereof, to assuage community anxieties and to ensure that technology rolls out with public safety as a paramount concern.
Topics: Governance-ESG