Self-driving cars?

Supervisor Jim Desmond

5th District

Recently, I was able to tour Waymo, which is an autonomous driving technology company owned by Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. Waymo is similar to a self-driving Uber. Though it was a bit eerie getting in a car that didn't have a driver, I was really impressed by the safety and convenience of the process. The way it works is using an app (similar to Uber), you summon a car and enter your destination. Once the car picks you up, you put on your seatbelt and press go on the screen.

One of the most impressive things about Waymo's technology is the extensive testing and safety measures in place. We don't want to admit it, but humans cause the majority of accidents. A recent study done by Waymo showed over a million miles driven and only two accidents with their cars, both of which were caused by the other human driver.

The Waymo vehicle easily reacted to yields, four-way stops and other scenarios it encountered. During the tour, I learned about the various components that make up the technology, including sensors, cameras and advanced software that enables Waymo's self-driving cars to navigate through complex environments seamlessly.

I believe that autonomous driving technology like Waymo's will transform the way we travel and create safer and more efficient transportation options for people around the world.

Let me know what you think about driving cars and if you would like to see the technology expand.