Waymo is launching rides on freeways for its robotaxi services in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. This marks a significant move in autonomous vehicle technology, as the company had previously confined its service to city streets while ensuring safety at higher speeds. Waymo's co-CEO, Dmitri Dolgov, emphasized the complexity of mastering freeway driving without human backup. The company claims to be the first to offer fully autonomous freeway rides to paying customers in the U.S. Freeways present unique challenges and risks compared to city streets, according to Wendy Ju, an associate professor at Cornell University. Higher speeds increase the potential for accidents, requiring cars to predict events further down the road. A recent test ride showed a Waymo robotaxi successfully merging, obeying speed limits, and handling congestion without issues. The competition in the robotaxi space is heating up, with Tesla and Zoox also expanding their offerings. Waymo plans to double its operational cities, adding cold-weather locations like Denver and Detroit. The company will also provide curbside service at San Jose’s airport and introduce a new vehicle model, the Zeekr RT. While Waymo has a solid safety record, having driven over 100 million miles without a human fatality, concerns remain. Incidents involving other companies, like Cruise's pedestrian accident, highlight the risks of autonomous driving. Waymo is proceeding cautiously, gradually expanding freeway operations and sticking to speed limits, even if other drivers around them do not.