Law Gap Leaves Police Unable To Fine Autonomous Cars

Police in Northern California were left baffled after pulling over a self-driving Waymo taxi that made an illegal U-turn since no driver was behind the wheel hence no one could be fined.

The San Bruno Police Department said officers were conducting a DUI operation early Saturday morning when the Waymo robotaxi turned in front of them. “That’s right … no driver, no hands, no clue,” read a social media post showing an officer peering into the empty vehicle, as reported by the AP.

Officers contacted Waymo to report the “glitch” and said, “Hopefully the reprogramming will keep it from making any more illegal moves,” as reported by LA Times.

San Bruno Sgt. Scott Smithmatungol explained that current law only allows police to ticket a human driver for moving violations. “Citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot,’” he said as reported by the AP.

A new California law taking effect next year will allow authorities to report autonomous vehicle violations to the Department of Motor Vehicles, though details on penalties are still being worked out, says LA Times.

Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina said the company’s autonomous system is closely monitored by regulators. “We are looking into this situation and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience,” Ilina told the AP.

Waymo currently operates in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and nearby suburbs, including San Bruno. “It blew up a lot bigger than we thought,” Smithmatungol added about the viral post, as reported by the AP.

The incident demonstrates that California needs to update its laws because autonomous vehicles are starting to appear on public roads.

LA Times notes that the law faces criticism for being inadequate yet Waymo proves its vehicles enhance urban safety through data which shows 79% fewer airbag deployments and 80% fewer injury-related crashes than human-driven vehicles.

This is not the first incident. Last year, a Waymo robotaxi collided with a Serve delivery robot in West Hollywood. The taxi hit the bot after misjudging timing; no damage occurred, but the event raised questions about autonomous vehicle safety and liability.