National Law Review featured Witherite Law Group founder and traffic safety attorney Amy Witherite’s response to the rapid expansion of the autonomous vehicle industry, raising concerns about whether safety is being prioritized over profit.
According to the report, Witherite argues that financial incentives—not proven safety—are driving the push to deploy autonomous vehicles on public roads. Industry projections estimate billions in future revenue and significant cost savings by removing human drivers, a shift that underscores what she describes as the true motivation behind the technology’s rapid rollout.
“The autonomous vehicle industry is not leading with safety, it’s leading with cost savings,” Witherite said. “Eliminating the driver is the product.”
The article also highlights concerns about the current state of safety validation. Witherite emphasized that autonomous systems have not yet been tested across the full range of real-world driving conditions, including unpredictable traffic scenarios, weather variability, and complex roadway environments.
“A 231-mile overnight run is not a safety study,” she said. “It is a proof-of-concept for a business model.”
Witherite is calling for greater transparency and stronger regulatory oversight, urging federal and state leaders to require independent and comprehensive safety data before expanding commercial autonomous vehicle operations.
She emphasized that public roads should not serve as testing grounds for developing technology and that safety claims must be backed by rigorous, real-world validation.
Read more on National Law Review.
