Daily Business Review reporter Annie Mayne interviewed Ratzan Weissman & Boldt Founding Partner Stuart Ratzan about the arrival of driverless vehicles on Miami streets. A recognized authority on road safety and transportation law, he shared insight into how liability may apply to companies like Waymo as automation becomes more widespread.
Waymo began taking its first public riders in the Magic City late last month. The white cars, typically Jaguar I-PACE SUVs, do not exactly blend in on the roadway—the exteriors are affixed with whirling cameras and sensors, and one double-take over the dashboard shows the passerby that the driver’s seat is empty.
It is the kind of futuristic technology those who grew up watching the Jetsons were promised, and the rollout of Waymo's Miami fleet was marked as a historic occasion that was celebrated by local politicians, disability advocates and Mothers Against Drunk Driving alike.