Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    AT&T is raising home internet prices for the second year in a row

    October 17, 2025

    MacBook Pro rumor points to OLED, touchscreen upgrades next year

    October 16, 2025

    Amazon shares a ‘first look’ at new nuclear facility

    October 16, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Cruise Was Asked to Ground Robotaxis on Halloween to Keep Kids Safe
    Business

    Cruise Was Asked to Ground Robotaxis on Halloween to Keep Kids Safe

    News RoomBy News RoomJanuary 8, 20243 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Jeff Farrah, CEO of lobbying group the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, which counts Waymo, Cruise, and other self-driving developers in its membership, says keeping motor vehicle regulation authority firmly in states’ hands is consistent with how vehicles have been regulated in the past. “Cities have a role to play in enforcing traffic laws, but life-saving AV technology cannot be scaled if dozens of cities are enacting contradictory regulations,” he says.

    Seattle disagrees. The city is a test bed for vehicles in development from Amazon-owned Zoox and chipmaker Nvidia, and is one of the only US cities that runs its own autonomous vehicles test permitting program. City staff have pushed back on proposed state preemption laws for Washington state, arguing that local government should be able to set performance standards for self-driving car companies, and to require them to submit detailed data about their operations.

    If an autonomous vehicle policy bill reemerges in the Washington State Legislature, the situation will be reminiscent of the turbulent entry of Uber and Lyft into US cities in the 2010s, says Armand Shahbazian, who heads up electric automated mobility issues in the Seattle Department of Transportation. Back then, ride-hail lobbyists were able to preempt many city laws from taking effect.

    “We’re hoping to not repeat those mistakes for autonomous vehicles, while at the same time respecting that there’s a lot of use cases for autonomous vehicles that we would like to leverage,” Shahbazian says. Any relationships between cities and companies developing the technology should acknowledge that city staffers know the local traffic and infrastructure most intimately, and how a new kind of automated transportation might help most people, he argues. “We want to respect that this is really a city transportation issue at its heart.”

    Waymo says city rules for autonomous vehicles are impractical. “You can imagine how untenable and arguably unsafe it would be if rules changed every time an autonomous vehicle crossed from one city to another,” Ellie Casson, Waymo’s head of city policy and government affairs, wrote in a statement advocating for “uniformity across jurisdictions.” Still, she added, “We pride ourselves in working closely with policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders at all levels of government.”

    In a statement, Cruise spokesperson Navideh Forghani wrote that the company is “committed to engaging with regulators and stakeholders at all levels of government” about autonomous vehicle policy, and says it “will continue to be an important participant in policy discussions about the future of transportation.” The company’s vehicles remain inactive during what Cruise calls a “pause” as it reevaluates its safety procedures (and executive suite) following an October incident in which the state of California accused it of failing to disclose details of a crash that sent a woman to the hospital with serious injuries. Cruise has denied the accusation.

    Despite the interruption in Cruise’s service, Castignoli, in Austin, is hopeful about the city’s relationship with robotaxi operators. “When we became organized and collaborative, it made it easier for the autonomous vehicle companies to work with us,” she says. Whether cities need the force of law to get the best out of that relationship is up for debate.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleCritical Infrastructure Is Sinking Along the US East Coast
    Next Article How Google perfected the web

    Related Posts

    A Plan to Rebuild Gaza Lists Nearly 30 Companies. Many Say They’re Not Involved

    October 16, 2025

    Feds Seize Record-Breaking $15 Billion in Bitcoin From Alleged Scam Empire

    October 16, 2025

    ‘Sovereign AI’ Has Become a New Front in the US-China Tech War

    October 15, 2025

    Mark Cuban Would Still Have Dinner With Donald Trump

    October 14, 2025

    Programming in Assembly Is Brutal, Beautiful, and Maybe Even a Path to Better AI

    October 14, 2025

    New Rules Could Force Tesla to Redesign Its Door Handles. That’s Harder Than It Sounds

    October 14, 2025
    Our Picks

    MacBook Pro rumor points to OLED, touchscreen upgrades next year

    October 16, 2025

    Amazon shares a ‘first look’ at new nuclear facility

    October 16, 2025

    A New Attack Lets Hackers Steal 2-Factor Authentication Codes From Android Phones

    October 16, 2025

    Apple TV and Peacock announce a discounted $15 monthly subscription bundle

    October 16, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Pinterest’s ‘tuner’ lets you dial down the amount of AI content — but not entirely

    By News RoomOctober 16, 2025

    Pinterest is rolling out a tool that allows users to “dial down the AI” in…

    Ugreen’s 8-port Thunderbolt 4 hub is $80 off

    October 16, 2025

    OnePlus’ OxygenOS 16 brings Gemini into your Mind Space

    October 16, 2025

    A Plan to Rebuild Gaza Lists Nearly 30 Companies. Many Say They’re Not Involved

    October 16, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.