If a vehicle makes an unlawful U-turn without a driver in the seat, will it still incur a fine? This intriguing question was recently tackled by the California police department.
While conducting DUI enforcement, San Bruno officials encountered a self-driving car that performed an illegal U-turn, yet had no one behind the wheel. In a post from the San Bruno Police Station on Saturday, it was noted that police redirected traffic after halting the identifiable white vehicle from Waymo, the leading autonomous car service in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“We couldn’t issue citations as there was no human operator (our guidelines do not cover ‘robots’).” The post stated.
The department alerted Waymo about the incident, expressing hope that future programming updates will help avoid similar violations.
In a response, Waymo affirmed that its autonomous system, referred to as Waymo drivers, is “engineered to adhere to traffic laws.”
“We are evaluating this incident and remain dedicated to enhancing road safety through continuous learning and experience,” the statement sent to the Guardian read.
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Last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation allowing police to issue a “Notice of Violation” if an unmanned vehicle breaks traffic laws. This law will be effective starting July 2026, and it mandates businesses to install emergency communication lines for first responders.
The bill, proposed by San Francisco council member Phil Ting, came in response to multiple incidents within the city that could obstruct traffic, endanger pedestrians, and interfere with emergency responses.
The new law empowers first responders to direct companies to relocate self-driving cars away from an area, requiring them to respond within two minutes.
Addressing concerns regarding leniency from officers, San Bruno police reaffirmed that “there is a statute allowing officers to issue notifications to companies.”
Initially launched as a project under Google’s X Research Lab in 2009, Waymo Cars operate using a combination of external cameras and sensors. The company has encountered its share of challenges in the past, having to recall over 1,200 vehicles earlier this year due to software glitches leading to collisions with barriers and other stationary objects. The National Highway Traffic Safety Bureau has also initiated an investigation last year after receiving reports of 22 incidents involving Waymo vehicles acting erratically or breaching traffic safety laws.
Source: www.theguardian.com
