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When San Bruno police officers stopped a Waymo robotaxi for making an illegal U-turn on Friday, they encountered a unique challenge. The driverless vehicle, which had no human operator, left officers unable to issue a traditional traffic ticket. The incident, which quickly went viral, highlighted a gap in California's traffic laws regarding autonomous vehicles.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the officers were on a DUI patrol when they observed the Waymo vehicle make an illegal U-turn. With no driver present, the officers contacted Waymo to report the issue, hoping that the company would address the glitch. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, stated that their vehicles are designed to follow traffic laws and that they are investigating the incident.
Currently, California law does not allow for traffic tickets to be issued to autonomous vehicles without a human driver. However, new legislation, Assembly Bill 1777, is set to take effect in July 2026. This law will enable law enforcement to report violations by autonomous vehicles to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which will then determine appropriate penalties. Critics, including the Teamsters union, argue that the law is not stringent enough.
In contrast, states like Arizona and Texas have already updated their laws to allow officers to issue citations to the registered owner of the vehicle, even in the absence of a human driver. Sky News reports that California's upcoming legislation aims to address these enforcement challenges, but until it takes effect, driverless cars remain free from tickets.
The incident in San Bruno is not the first time Waymo vehicles have been involved in traffic violations. As Business Insider notes, similar situations have occurred in other cities, raising questions about the accountability of autonomous vehicles on public roads. While Waymo's data suggests their vehicles are safer than human-driven cars, the debate over regulation and enforcement continues as the technology advances.