Self-Driving Cars Are Coming: East Ventura County is Getting Ready for Waymo

Get ready for robots on the road. Several cities in East Ventura County are gearing up for the arrival of Waymo, the company that makes self-driving vehicles. Cities like Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, and Camarillo are on the list of hundreds of new areas recently approved by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV, for Waymo to expand.

This expansion means that local cops and sheriff's deputies have to get ready for new traffic rules that start next summer.

🚨 New Rules After Road Mistakes

Waymo has been in the news a lot lately for traffic problems, like their cars illegally passing school buses. Because of these issues, the state is putting its foot down. Starting July 1 in California, companies that make driverless cars have to follow some strict new safety rules.

A state bill signed last year requires these companies to set up a special phone line just for emergency services to call. The cars must also have two-way voice devices so people can talk with the company from the car itself. These rules are meant to make sure police can handle problems when there is no human driver to talk to.

🤷 Local Cops Are Still Waiting

It seems the car company hasn't exactly been great at communicating its plans.

Simi Valley Police Sgt. Josh McAlister said that Waymo has not contacted the police department or the city about their plans to start operations there. He also mentioned that the department has not had any official training yet on how to deal with traffic crashes or other problems involving driverless cars.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office, which covers Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, and Camarillo, also said Waymo hasn't contacted any of those cities about future expansions. Captain Robert Yoos, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, didn't respond to questions about their overall plans for dealing with the new technology. Basically, the cars are approved, but local law enforcement seems to be in the dark.

😿 A Cat, a Tragedy, and The Backlash

Waymo has faced lots of heat since it started driving in California. A recent sad event caused a major uproar in San Francisco. A well-known cat named KitKat was hit and killed by a Waymo car on October 27.

Ethan Teicher, a spokesperson for Waymo, gave a statement about it. He said that the car was stopped to pick up passengers, and the cat "darted under our vehicle as it was pulling away." He sent "deepest sympathies" to the cat's owner and the community. The company even donated money to a local animal rights group. But even with that, the incident made people very nervous about the safety of these vehicles.

🛣️ Don't Hold Your Breath Yet

If you want to hail a self-driving taxi right now, you will have to wait a bit longer. Even though the DMV approved the expansion areas, the California Public Utilities Commission still needs to give the final okay for the company to start charging for passenger service.

Waymo has not given a firm timeline for when they will actually start service in the areas near their current cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles. However, they do plan to start service in San Diego by the middle of 2026.

✅ What the Studies Say

Despite the public outcry and accidents, some research suggests that the technology is safer than human drivers. Waymo is owned by Alphabet Inc., which is the parent company of Google.

A study looked at crash data for both Waymo vehicles and cars driven by people. The results showed that the Waymo cars had a much lower crash rate. The study found that Waymo had 96% fewer injuries reported and 91% fewer airbags deploying in similar driving conditions compared to human drivers. So while the public is worried, the numbers suggest these cars might be the safer bet in the long run.