Dallas, TX

Are we ready for self-driving vehicles in Dallas?

Published

7 months ago

September 8, 2025

Are we ready for self-driving vehicles in Dallas?

Next year, as you drive around Dallas, you might turn to look at the car next to you and notice empty space where the driver should be. Cue the spit take. Waymo, formally Google’s self-driving car project, plans to launch its self-driving ride-hailing service in Dallas in 2026.

This isn’t the first self-driving ride service to come to Dallas. General Motors’ Cruise began testing robo-taxis in 2023, but the program was halted due to safety concerns flagged by federal regulators.

Two years later, Texas roads are still dangerous — mainly because of human drivers. This newspaper recently reported that road deaths in Texas are 18% higher than they were 10 years ago.

Traditional rideshare services might help reduce drunken driving, but these services come with their own risks, like troubling allegations about sexual assault, as recently reported by The New York Times.

We need to find a way to make our roadways and interstates safer. Driverless cars are here to stay, and state and federal policymakers are right to embrace them, but they should also ensure that there are rules in place to protect the public.

While the future of this technology and potential for safety improvements is promising, that doesn’t mean we should just hand over the keys.

Initially, the testing fleets will be manned by human drivers to help train the Waymo cars, according to a Waymo news release.

This gives us a little more peace of mind. However, as the technology evolves, the laws and protections surrounding it should, too.

In the last legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that requires autonomous vehicle companies to get state approval before operating without a driver and also requires companies to provide methods of dealing with self-driving cars in emergencies.

If you do get into a fender bender with a Waymo car, you can call the company or scan a QR code on the car’s door. That’s assuming the QR code is still readable after the crash. That offers some level of accountability, but questions linger about who is liable when a self-driving car causes an accident.

Continued state-level regulation is both smart and necessary. We need a system of ongoing oversight and to consider how these vehicles will interact with our existing traffic laws, infrastructure and human drivers on the road.

Waymo cars are expanding their reach throughout Texas. Since March 2024, Waymo has been testing in Austin. During that time, Waymo cars have been involved in 79 incidents in the city, according to the city’s dashboard. Most incidents were reports of safety concerns or blocking traffic. Only three collisions were reported.

This isn’t a bad track record. But even with an otherwise smooth performance, self-driving cars are still in their infancy, and we should be cautious.

As this technology evolves and we start to see more of these vehicles on our roadways, guardrails at the state and federal level will be essential to protect Waymo passengers and other drivers and ensure that companies remain responsible for their vehicles’ behavior on the road.

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Dallas, TX

Dallas Cowboys Star Labeled Trade Candidate and Named Ideal Fit for Chargers

Published

16 minutes ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Dallas Cowboys Star Labeled Trade Candidate and Named Ideal Fit for Chargers

Until the Dallas Cowboys sign George Pickens to a long-term deal, the chance remains that he could get traded.

At this point, it doesn’t look like the Cowboys and Pickens are any closer to a deal than when they slapped the franchise tag on him during the month of February. Owner Jerry Jones made it quite clear the two sides haven’t talked recently and Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reported that the Cowboys “haven’t started any substantial contract talks with Pickens’ agent.”

All of this sets the stage for what could be an ugly offseason that sees Pickens holding out until he and the Cowboys hammer out a long-term deal. Along with that, if Pickens’ situation becomes a headache for Dallas, it’s conceivable they could trade him.

And that’s the logic CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell is using to frame the star wideout as a trade candidate. He also rightly cites the parallels with the Micah Parsons saga.

“Yes, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been adamant Pickens is in the Cowboys’ long-term plans, but he said the same thing about All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons before trading him to the Green Bay Packers a week before the start of the 2025 season,” Podell explained. “Anything can happen when Jones gets backed up against the well in contract negotiations with his star players. Pickens is currently on the franchise tag, but it’s certain his agent David Mulugheta doesn’t want his client to take the field without a long-term deal in 2026.”

Chargers named ideal fit for George Pickens

Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Podell then went on to say that the Chargers are the “team that needs to trade for him the most.”

“The Chargers had the NFL’s ninth-ranked scoring defense (20.0 points per game allowed) in 2025, but quarterback Justin Herbert got beaten to a pulp behind the league’s most injury-ravaged offensive line,” Podell said. “He was the most pressured (126 times pressured) and most hit (took 129 quarterback hits) last season. Having a true No. 1 safety valve like Pickens, whose quick release off the line of scrimmage could save Herbert’s life, could raise the ceiling of the Chargers’ offense tremendously.”

The Chargers don’t have a bad situation at wide receiver, with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre’ Harris, but it wouldn’t hurt to upgrade the situation, either, given the facts that the jury is still out on Harris and Johnston has been inconsistent during his career.

What a Cowboys-Chargers trade could look like

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

If the Cowboys trade Pickens, they will need a replacement and, while the Chargers couldn’t offer a one-for-one swap, they can send back Johnston in a package.

That would lower the draft capital the Cowboys would get back, but at least they wouldn’t have as big of a void at wide receiver. Perhaps the Cowboys could get back the third-round pick they gave up in the Pickens trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers while also adding Johnston to pair with CeeDee Lamb.

Considering what could take place over these next handful of months with Pickens, that would be an acceptable off-ramp.

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Dallas, TX

CGY@DAL Postgame: Wyatt Johnston | Dallas Stars

Published

12 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

CGY@DAL Postgame: Wyatt Johnston | Dallas Stars

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