Our attacks on Waymo vehicles, not our forward-looking regulatory policy, have garnered national attention, making us seem almost barbaric – fighting technological change tooth and nail. Rather than fight against a developing technology for growing in our backyard, we should fight for it, setting an example for the rest of the nation and moving us one step closer to perfecting this life-saving technology.

The closure comes after an autonomous Uber vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe in March, and stems from an internal safety assessment the company took on following the incident.

Arizona has seen a steady decline of manufacturing jobs spanning decades, but hopes are a boom in automotive research will bring it to an end.

The move by Waymo, which started Oct. 19 with an automated Chrysler Pacifica minivan in Chandler is a major step toward vehicles driving themselves without human backups on public roads.

Google’s self-driving car project Waymo and Chandler’s police and fire departments held a demonstration at the city’s Municipal Utilities Center on June 28, showcasing how the company’s cars respond to emergency vehicles.