OPINION:
Transportation works just fine for many people in the District of Columbia, but not for the visually impaired, elderly or disabled.
My friend Olivia Norman, who is blind and lives in the District, faces a massive, time-consuming effort just to get to work or visit friends. Olivia and millions of other Americans see a brighter future in autonomous vehicles, which will deliver independence like never before.
So it is alarming that D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George recently pumped the brakes on autonomous vehicles. Ms. Lewis George cited an artificial-intelligence-made “jobs crisis” and said that “rushing the legalization of autonomous vehicles is irresponsible given the anticipated AI-related job displacement and disruptions that put countless workers at risk.”
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Yet she said nothing about the safety and accessibility crises unfolding on city roads.
Through the first eight months of this year, 29 people were killed in traffic crashes in the city, a 123% increase over the same period in 2025. The overwhelming cause is human error: distraction, impairment, fatigue. Autonomous vehicles never drive distracted, impaired or fatigued. They have a 360-degree view of the world and reaction times no human can match.
Over hundreds of millions of real-world miles, independent studies have confirmed significantly fewer serious injury crashes.
Nor is autonomous vehicle legislation being rushed. The District adopted its first Autonomous Vehicle Act in 2012 and updated it in 2020, directing the Department of Transportation to deliver a safety report that the city is still awaiting. Council member Charles Allen’s current bill has gone through a public hearing this year, so calling a 14-year process “rushed” is a stretch.
Ms. Lewis George also said the District “must be a leader in welcoming new technology.” Still, a city cannot claim to welcome innovation while slowing the most significant transportation advance in a generation.
D.C. residents are ready. A recent national survey found that the city ranks second among all congressional districts in net comfort with autonomous vehicles.
Autonomous vehicles represent a real opportunity for the District. Throwing up a stop sign will not serve people such as Ms. Norman or solve the safety crisis on the city’s streets. Ms. Lewis George should change direction.
JEFF FARRAH
CEO, Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association
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