by Unexpected Stop of a Driverless Vehicle
San Bruno police, while patrolling to identify drivers under the influence of alcohol, stopped a Waymo vehicle for an illegal U-turn. Interestingly, there was no driver inside the car, which made the situation unique for law enforcement officers.
Legal Limitations
Under current California law, police officers do not have the authority to issue traffic violation fines to driverless vehicles. The officers only reported the incident to the Waymo operations team so the company could correct the error in the software.
“No driver, no hands, no idea. Our citation books don’t have a checkbox for ‘robot’,” police representatives ironically noted on social media.
Future Changes
The situation will change in July 2026 when new regulations take effect in California. They will allow police to issue fines to the companies operating autonomous vehicles, rather than to individual drivers.
Broader Context of the Problem
Such cases are not isolated. For example, in San Francisco, Waymo vehicles have already received fines totaling over $65,000. Federal regulators are already investigating numerous complaints about traffic violations by autonomous vehicles.
Prospects of Driverless Transport
San Bruno police emphasized that their mission remains unchanged regardless of the type of vehicle. They continue to work on ensuring safety on the city’s roads. Driverless control technologies are rapidly developing but require improvements in the mechanisms for accountability for violations.
Photo: San Bruno Police
This incident demonstrates how the legal system is trying to keep up with technological progress. Although autonomous vehicles promise to reduce the number of accidents, for now they are creating new challenges for law enforcement agencies. Companies developing such systems must consider not only technical aspects but also the legal norms of different jurisdictions.
