US to host self-driving safety forum with Waymo, Zoox and Aurora CEOs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will host a national autonomous vehicle safety forum on Tuesday, bringing together leaders of major self-driving companies, including Waymo, Zoox and Aurora. The Trump administration is examining ways to accelerate robotaxi deployment while addressing regulatory hurdles and safety concerns. The meeting will include Alphabet unit Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, Zoox CEO Aicha Evans and Aurora CEO Chris Urmson.

NHTSA is evaluating possible steps, including issuing future guidance on the safe development, testing and deployment of self-driving vehicles in the United States. The day-long forum will also discuss the use of remote assistance in robotaxis and how regulators should measure robotaxi performance against human-driven vehicles. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency aims to support innovation in autonomous vehicles due to their potential to reduce crashes and improve mobility for older Americans and people with disabilities.




“We are taking a measured approach — removing unnecessary, unintended barriers to this technology while maintaining strict safety oversight,” Morrison said. However, the agency has opened several investigations involving robotaxis. “The technology is not perfect,” he said, adding the agency will act if it identifies risks to the public. NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating incidents involving Waymo robotaxis illegally passing stopped school buses.

Congress is considering legislation that could ease the deployment of autonomous vehicles without human controls. Lawmakers have remained divided for years on whether to approve such measures as robotaxi testing expands. The agency said the United States “is at an inflection point for automated mobility,” noting the industry has moved beyond limited testing and pilot programmes to daily operations of robotaxis and commercial autonomous vehicles on public roads.

Waymo operates robotaxi services in cities including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and Miami. The company says it has logged 200 million fully autonomous miles on public roads and provides about 400,000 rides a week. In January, Tesla began robotaxi rides in Austin without safety monitors.