Traffic Safety Advocate Says $220 Million Proving Ground Purchase Validates Long-Standing Demand for Pre-Deployment Testing — Not as an Afterthought to Commercial Operations Already Underway
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amy Witherite, founding attorney of Witherite Law Group and a leading voice for autonomous vehicle safety accountability, today responded to Waymo’s $220 million acquisition of a 5,500-acre proving ground in Wittmann, Arizona — calling the move a positive and overdue step, while noting that the sequence matters as much as the investment.
“Waymo has made the right decision. A dedicated proving ground is exactly the kind of infrastructure that responsible autonomous vehicle development requires. Test tracks — not the streets of Dallas, Austin, or any other American city — are where these vehicles should be proving they can handle the conditions they’ll encounter in the real world.”
— Amy Witherite, Founding Attorney, Witherite Law Group
But Witherite emphasized that the announcement underscores a troubling reality: Waymo has been operating commercially in more than ten U.S. cities while acquiring the infrastructure it should have built first. Waymo’s own acknowledgment that the facility will help simulate driving scenarios to “test and enhance” its system confirms that safety validation is ongoing — not complete.
“The right order is: test first, then deploy. Not deploy, observe the failures, and then build the testing infrastructure. Real people in real communities are paying the price for that reversed sequence. We have seen it in Dallas. We have seen it in Austin. And we will keep seeing it until enforceable standards and independent testing requirements are in place before these vehicles are allowed on public roads.”
— Amy Witherite, Founding Attorney, Witherite Law Group
Witherite has been at the forefront of autonomous vehicle accountability calls following the May 28, 2025, incident in which a Waymo robotaxi blocked Dallas County Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda as fire trucks raced to a fatal gas explosion at The Clyde apartment complex in Oak Cliff. Three people died. Banda was forced to manually enter the vehicle and drive it out of the way after a Waymo dispatcher demanded his credentials before acting. A Waymo vehicle similarly blocked an ambulance during the West Sixth Street mass shooting in Austin that killed three people.
The acquisition comes as Waymo faces intensifying resistance from cities where it wants to expand. New York City let its Waymo pilot expire in March with Mayor Zohran Mamdani showing no eagerness to revive it. New York Governor Kathy Hochul withdrew a robotaxi expansion proposal in February after it failed to gain sufficient support from lawmakers and labor groups. Washington D.C.’s deployment remains stalled in regulatory limbo, with council members citing unresolved safety concerns. City leaders in Boston and Seattle are weighing ordinances that would ban autonomous vehicles outright.
“I am glad Waymo is investing in serious testing infrastructure. That is the right instinct. Now apply that same instinct to policy: support independent testing requirements, support mandatory pre-deployment standards, and stop treating communities as the test track while the real proving ground sits empty in Arizona.”
— Amy Witherite, Founding Attorney, Witherite Law Group
Amy Witherite is available to discuss autonomous vehicle safety and accountability. Contact David Margulies at 214-368-0909 or mediainquiries@prexperts.net.
About Witherite Law Group
Witherite Law Group is a Dallas-based personal injury firm focused on traffic safety, trucking accidents, and emerging transportation technology. Founding attorney Amy Witherite is a recognized advocate for victims of negligence on Texas roads and highways.
Contacts
David Margulies / The Margulies Communications Group
214-368-0909 / mediainquiries@prexperts.net
