Top executives from Waymo and Tesla defended the safety of their autonomous and driver-assist systems during a Senate hearing triggered by recent incidents and growing public concern. Lawmakers pressed both companies after viral videos and local complaints raised questions about robotaxis and advanced driver-assistance features.
Waymo, which operates robotaxis in six U.S. cities and is planning expansion, faced scrutiny over several high-profile episodes: a vehicle in Phoenix that ended up on light-rail tracks, Austin vehicles cited repeatedly for not yielding to school buses, and a Santa Monica incident in which a Waymo vehicle struck a young girl who the company says ran out from behind a parked car. The girl sustained minor injuries after the vehicle braked. Waymo’s head of safety told the committee the firm has implemented software changes and argued its vehicles are far less likely to be involved in serious crashes than human-driven cars.
Senator Ed Markey has sent information requests to multiple autonomous-vehicle firms and is pushing measures to increase transparency and require companies to certify where and how their vehicles can operate safely, creating accountability to defined standards. Other senators, including Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, urged a single federal standard to avoid a patchwork of state rules and to ensure consistent protections.
Tesla executives defended the company’s approach to driver-assist features and its ‘Full Self-Driving’ suite as senators probed marketing practices, safeguards, and responses to crashes and state investigations. Both companies emphasized ongoing improvements, extensive internal testing, and concerns about global competition, noting growing work in China.
The hearing centered on balancing innovation and deployment with public safety. Lawmakers called for clearer data, stronger oversight, and enforceable standards. Company representatives said their systems can reduce crash risk compared with typical human driving but acknowledged the need to address incidents and public concerns as deployments scale up.