How do you issue a ticket for a traffic violation if a car has no driver? Apparently, you can't — at least not yet.
A Waymo autonomous vehicle was recently pulled over by police in San Bruno, California, for making an illegal U-turn.
The vehicle demonstrated its programmed response to law enforcement by pulling over and connecting officers to a Waymo employee through its built-in communication system.
However, police found themselves unable to issue a citation since no human driver was present in the vehicle.
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San Bruno Police shared the incident on social media, expressing hope that the traffic stop would lead to reprogramming of the autonomous vehicles to prevent similar violations.
The incident underscores current gaps in traffic enforcement for autonomous vehicles. Starting in July, California police will gain the authority to cite autonomous vehicle companies directly for traffic violations committed by their self-driving cars.
This regulatory change will establish clearer accountability for autonomous vehicle infractions, addressing the enforcement challenges demonstrated in the San Bruno incident.
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Waymo operates as a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company. It first launched its self-driving technology in California's Bay Area before expanding to other cities like Austin, Texas and Atlanta.
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