Professor William Riggs on why we fear Waymos more than bad drivers

Professor William Riggs on why we fear Waymos more than bad drivers

May 14, 2026 | 33 mins
William Riggs is a professor of engineering and management at the University of San Francisco and an expert on transportation innovation. He says San Francisco — now ground zero for America's autonomous vehicle future, with more than 1,000 Waymos on its streets — is exposing a strange contradiction: Society tolerates the deadly carnage caused by human drivers while holding self-driving cars to an impossible standard, even as the data increasingly suggests the technology will save lives.
  • Automotive
  • Road transport
  • Automobile enthusiasm
  • Reckless driving

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California Sun Podcast Journalists