For the entirety of my 34-year career as a plaintiff personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, the calls have been heartbreakingly familiar: a parent and spouse is paralyzed because someone was texting; a pedestrian on a sidewalk is killed because a driver had “just two drinks”; a family is shattered by speeding, fatigue or road rage.

My livelihood depends on car crashes, including fatal pedestrian collisions, which have surged over a 13-year period. But I’m telling you plainly, autonomous driving technology doesn’t get drunk, distracted, tired or tempted to speed. These are the very human failures that cause most wrecks. As this technology improves and becomes more widespread, it will shrink the very cases that keep attorneys like me busy. Help me find a new line of work. The sooner, the better.

In November, the technology took a tangible step forward. Waymo began carrying riders on freeways in the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles and Phoenix. This is the first time a U.S. robotaxi service will include freeways for members of the public (rolling out to early-access riders first, then broader availability). For some trips, freeway routing can cut travel times dramatically, a practical win that encourages more people to choose a driver who does not drink, text, rage or fall asleep.

We are on the cusp of a safety revolution, yet we risk derailing it with a fear-first reflex, and one that is amplified whenever a rare autonomous vehicle (AV) mistake dominates........

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