Waymo’s Driverless Cars Are Finally Heading Onto Freeways In Los Angeles — Here’s What You Need To Know

Get ready to merge onto the highway, Angelenos! The future of freeway travel just got a serious upgrade. The autonomous ride-hailing company, Waymo, announced this week that its [driverless cars](https://secretlosangeles.com/if-a-driverless-car-gets-a-parking-ticket-in-l-a-who-pays-it/) are finally heading onto the freeways in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Taking the Fast Lane -------------------- Waymo’s robotaxis have been cruising L.A.’s city streets for years, but now they’re ready for the big leagues – the open highway! The company says it’s expanding its service territory to include freeways after millions of miles of real-world testing and “extensive operational preparation.” According to Waymo, their cars have been quietly mastering freeway driving dynamics with employees and select guests in all three major metro areas. The company says the move is part of a natural evolution toward building “a safe and reliable service” that can handle the complexities of long-distance, high-speed travel. From City Streets to Highways ----------------------------- Until now, Waymo’s sleek white robotaxis tended to stick to surface streets and avoiding highways altogether. But after years of testing on closed courses, public roads, and even in virtual simulations, the Alphabet-owned company says it’s ready to take its hands-free rides to the next level. That means you could soon be hopping in a Waymo for a trip that takes you from Downtown L.A. to Santa Monica, or across the Bay on I-80 – all without touching the wheel! The Race to Autonomy -------------------- Waymo isn’t the only one in the fast lane. Tesla has started offering prototype rides of its self-driving software in Austin and the Bay Area, with CEO Elon Musk promising a rider-only service soon. Meanwhile, Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving venture, is already operating a rider-only service in Las Vegas, with plans to expand to more cities. Safety & Skepticism ------------------- Not everyone’s ready to buckle up for freeway-driving robotaxis just yet. Critics have long pointed to the absence of highway operations as proof that autonomous tech still has a few miles to go before full reliability. Some experts worry that the jump from local roads to high-speed traffic could introduce new challenges for both AI and human drivers. Why It Matters -------------- Still, this new freeway move marks a major milestone for the self-driving industry. If successful, it could pave the way (literally) for a new era of car-free commuting by making traffic a little less stressful and opening up transportation access for more people, especially those with mobility challenges. A countrywide rollout date has yet to be announced, but given how fast the autonomous arms race is moving, driverless freeway rides could become an everyday option sooner than you think. You can check for updates and availability on [Waymo’s official site here.](https://waymo.com/) Source: https://secretlosangeles.com/waymos-driverless-cars-heading-onto-freeways-in-la/