Source: Wired
When law enforcement directly tells federal regulators that an autonomous vehicle operator is getting worse—not better—at following traffic rules, the performance narrative collapses. Waymo's safety claims have rested on accumulating miles and incremental improvement, but first responders in two major markets are reporting the opposite trajectory. This points to degradation from software updates, insufficient real-world testing before deployment, or a mismatch between controlled testing environments and chaotic urban driving. The reports create immediate regulatory pressure and erode the implicit social license that has allowed robotaxi expansion to proceed with minimal friction.