Waymo pushes for Maryland leaders to pass bills regulating autonomous vehicles
Waymo is pushing to regulate autonomous vehicles in Maryland.
On Wednesday, Waymo testified to the Maryland House of Delegates and the state Senate to advocate for two bills that would authorize Waymo and other autonomous vehicle companies to operate in Maryland.
"All you need to do is use the Waymo app," explained Ethan Teicher, a spokesperson for Waymo. "You can hail a vehicle just like any other rideshare service. The only big difference is that you're all alone by yourself. It's your private space, and it's the same driver, so to speak, every time."
Waymo plans to bring the autonomous vehicle to 15 more cities, including Baltimore and Washington, DC.
Waymo makes plans for Baltimore
In 2025, Waymo announced its plans to bring its ride-share service to the Baltimore region.
"We believe our technology can help make roads safer in the city, in the state, but first we need to ask for more regulations and state's permission before we begin the operations," Teicher said.
Support for Waymo in Maryland
Advocates believe Waymo can help make roads safer in Maryland.
"The human driver – we love them— but they are not the behind a vehicle in the state of Maryland or in the US," explained John Seng, the founder and chair of SafeRoadsMD. "It is a lot easier to tweak the engineering of an autonomous vehicle than it is than the behavior of one human being who just can't put that cell phone down."
Teicher added that data shows that autonomous vehicles are "far safer than the status quo."
"The data shows over 127 million miles of operations under that date the technology is involved in 90% fewer serious injury or worse crashes compared to those human drivers where we operate," Teicher added.
Concerns with autonomous vehicles
Baltimore resident Spencer Brown said he is not comfortable with autonomous vehicles after seeing them in action while living in California.
"I am not quick to embrace it at this point," Brown said. "I know it is taking a lot of jobs away from people that are trying to make an extra buck on the side of whatever they have to do, especially with the rising cost of everything."
Waymo's newfound push comes days after a vehicle was caught on camera temporarily blocking traffic and preventing emergency crews from getting to a shooting in Austin, Texas. While people were fleeing, a Waymo vehicle blocked traffic and temporarily prevented emergency vehicles from accessing the scene.
It's a reason why some said that they're not ready to let technology take the driver seat.
"Regular cars, no electric, and handle our own business," Baltimore resident Gwendolyn Page said.
