Attorney Amy Witherite Issues Stark Warning as Waymo Continues Autonomous Operations Near Austin Schools
Attorney Amy Witherite, a nationally recognized advocate for transportation safety and victims’ rights, has issued a forceful warning that autonomous vehicle (AV) companies are operating “out of control,” following a series of alarming incidents involving Waymo’s self-driving taxis in Austin, Texas. The warning comes after Waymo reportedly refused to suspend operations near schools—even after repeated violations of school-bus safety laws and mounting evidence that its autonomous vehicles placed children at risk.
The controversy has ignited renewed debate over the regulation of autonomous vehicles in Texas, exposing what critics describe as dangerous gaps in oversight, limited enforcement authority for local governments, and an overreliance on self-policing by AV companies.
Repeated School-Bus Violations Raise Red Flags
According to confirmations from Austin Independent School District (AISD) officials and the Austin Police Department, Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles have been cited 20 times since August for illegally passing stopped school buses displaying flashing red lights and extended stop-arms—clear violations of Texas law intended to protect children boarding and exiting buses.
Each incident represents a potentially life-threatening situation. Texas law requires all vehicles, regardless of driver type, to stop when a school bus displays its stop-arm and flashing red lights. Violations carry serious penalties for human drivers, including heavy fines, points on a driver’s license, and possible suspension.
Yet despite the growing number of citations and video footage capturing the violations, Waymo declined AISD’s request to temporarily suspend autonomous service during morning and afternoon school hours.
Instead, the company announced it would file a voluntary software recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), stating that it would attempt to address the issue through software updates—without removing its vehicles from public roads.
For Witherite, this response falls far short of accountability.
“If a human driver broke the law 20 times around school buses, their license would be suspended immediately,” she said. “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.”
Video Evidence Amplifies Public Concern
The most recent violation—the 20th recorded incident—was captured on video and broadcast on local Austin television stations, as well as national network newscasts. The footage shows a Waymo robotaxi passing a school bus while its stop-arm was fully extended and warning lights were flashing, a moment that has intensified public outrage and parent anxiety.
Only after this latest incident did Waymo announce its intention to file a voluntary recall. However, critics note that even Waymo’s own statements suggest uncertainty about whether the proposed software fix will fully resolve the problem.
In a statement, Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña said, “We will continue analyzing our vehicles’ performance and making necessary fixes as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.”
To Witherite and other safety advocates, that admission underscores a troubling reality: the technology is still evolving in real-world conditions, even as it operates daily in environments where mistakes can cost lives.
Texas Law Limits Local Oversight
One of the most troubling aspects of the Austin situation, according to Witherite, is that Texas law significantly restricts the authority of cities and school districts to regulate autonomous vehicle operations.
Under current state regulations, municipalities have little power to impose additional safety requirements, restrict AV operations in specific zones, or temporarily halt services—even in high-risk areas such as school zones, construction corridors, or emergency scenes.
As a result, AISD and city officials found themselves unable to compel Waymo to alter its operations, despite repeated violations involving children.
“This is not just about one company or one city,” Witherite said. “This is about a regulatory system that ties the hands of local communities and prioritizes corporate autonomy over public safety.”
A Broader Pattern of Autonomous System Failures
The Austin school-bus incidents are not isolated, Witherite argues, but rather part of a broader national pattern of autonomous system failures documented in multiple cities.
Among the incidents cited by safety advocates:
- A Waymo robotaxi driving into an active police stop in Los Angeles, reportedly coming within feet of a suspect lying prone on the ground while officers shouted commands at the vehicle.
- Numerous reports of erratic or unpredictable driving behavior, including illegal turns, rolling stops, sudden braking, and confusion at complex intersections.
- Collisions involving pets and pedestrians in cities such as San Francisco and Phoenix.
- Documented struggles navigating school zones, emergency scenes, and areas with unpredictable pedestrian movement—precisely the environments that require the highest safety margins.
“These aren’t rare edge cases,” Witherite said. “They are everyday situations that human drivers handle safely millions of times a day. Autonomous vehicle companies have not proven that their systems can do the same consistently.”
Questioning Industry Safety Claims
Waymo and other AV developers frequently assert that their vehicles are safer than human drivers, citing internal data and performance metrics. However, Witherite contends that these claims rely heavily on company-selected data and lack independent, peer-reviewed validation.
“Waymo talks about safety more than it demonstrates safety,” she said. “We don’t allow pharmaceutical companies to approve their own drugs. We don’t let airplane manufacturers certify their own planes without oversight. We should not allow AV companies to certify their own safety claims—especially when there is video evidence showing failures in front of schoolchildren.”
The lack of transparent, independent testing standards has become a central concern among regulators, first responders, and safety advocates nationwide.
Ethical Questions and Public Acceptance
Public trust in autonomous technology was further shaken by comments attributed to Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana during the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference. When asked whether society would accept a death caused by a robotaxi, Mawakana reportedly responded, “I think that society will.”
For critics, the remark underscored what they see as a troubling mindset—one that treats fatalities as an inevitable cost of technological progress rather than an unacceptable failure.
“When children’s lives are involved, there is no acceptable margin for error,” Witherite said. “That statement alone should alarm every parent and policymaker.”
First Responders Echo Safety Concerns
Concerns about AV operations are not limited to legal advocates. First responders in Austin have also voiced frustration with the current regulatory framework.
“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.”
Emergency personnel have repeatedly reported difficulties interacting with autonomous vehicles during active scenes, raising concerns about delays, confusion, and unintended risks.
Calls for Legislative Reform
In response to the Waymo incidents, Witherite is urging Texas lawmakers to revisit and revise the state’s autonomous vehicle laws, restoring authority to local governments and prioritizing public safety over rapid deployment.
“Cities must be empowered to restrict or halt dangerous AV operations—especially around schools, children, and emergency responders,” she said. “Right now, autonomous vehicle companies are effectively unregulated on our streets, and Texas families are paying the price.”
As autonomous vehicles continue expanding into cities nationwide, the Austin case may serve as a pivotal moment—forcing lawmakers, regulators, and the public to confront difficult questions about safety, accountability, and who ultimately bears the risk when emerging technology fails.
For parents, educators, and first responders, the message from Witherite is clear: innovation cannot come at the expense of children’s lives, and accountability must be enforced before—not after—tragedy strikes.
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