NHTSA ends 14-month investigation into Waymo

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially ended its investigation into Waymo, the autonomous driving division of Alphabet, following a 14-month review of reported traffic incidents and unexpected vehicle behavior.

The closure, confirmed on Friday, July 25, came without any enforcement action, according to Reuters. The probe was launched in May 2024 after the agency received 22 complaints linked to Waymo’s self-driving robotaxis. 

These included reports of the vehicles breaking traffic rules and acting unpredictably, with 17 of those reports involving crashes. NHTSA’s primary concern was that some of the incidents involved collisions with visible objects, barriers and poles that should’ve been avoided by a driver with basic awareness.

Waymo responds with software fixes and recalls

In reviewing the case, NHTSA said its decision was based on Waymo’s two voluntary recalls and the agency’s own technical evaluation. The first recall came earlier in 2024 after one of the company’s cars hit a utility pole.

The second, in May, involved over 1,200 vehicles. This round of fixes updated Waymo’s software to better detect and avoid obstacles like chained barriers and road gates, which the company admitted had caused confusion for its system.

The regulator said the investigation also covered how Waymo cars behaved around construction zones and traffic control devices, areas where the vehicles reportedly made erratic or delayed decisions. In a written statement, NHTSA added that multiple incidents involved “collisions with clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid.”

Katherine Barna, Waymo’s spokesperson, responded on Friday, saying: “At Waymo we are committed to prioritizing safety and we’re pleased that NHTSA has concluded their investigation and closed our case.”

Waymo keeps expanding, but not everyone’s on board

At the moment, Waymo is running more than 1,500 autonomous vehicles in the country across Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. These cars now complete over 250,000 fully driverless paid rides each week.

The company has already expanded its service to Atlanta through a partnership with Uber, and is targeting New York, Miami, and Washington, D.C. for future rollouts. But it’s not all green lights.

In 2023, a Cruise vehicle, owned by General Motors, was involved in a serious pedestrian accident, pushing federal regulators to apply more pressure on all self-driving programs.

As a result, GM pulled back funding and folded Cruise into its broader operations. In Greater Boston, Waymo sent out manned mapping vehicles earlier this year, signaling plans for possible expansion. Still, many officials are pushing back.

On Thursday, the Boston City Council held a hearing to evaluate whether self-driving cars should even be allowed in the city. Local lawmakers made it clear: public trust isn’t there yet.

Waymo has said there’s no confirmed date for a launch in Boston, as Katherine also explained the company wants to “have a robust conversation with local leaders and stakeholders” before moving forward. But the road is far from smooth. Lawmakers on Beacon Hill are reviewing multiple bills that could set rules for autonomous vehicles across Massachusetts. And even if any of those bills pass, city officials have already hinted they’ll take things slow.

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