{"id":292485,"date":"2026-04-30T03:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292485\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T03:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:14:10","slug":"driverless-taxis-can-get-traffic-tickets-in-california-but-theres-a-catch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292485\/","title":{"rendered":"Driverless taxis can get traffic tickets in California but there\u2019s a catch"},"content":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s robotaxi rollout is finally getting flagged by lawmakers who are promising to bring harsher penalties<\/a> to the masters of the automated machines for violated road rules.<\/p>\n

In San Francisco, driverless cars operated by Waymo have racked up hundreds of citations, mostly for parking violations like blocking traffic during pickups<\/a>, stopping in restricted zones and ignoring street-cleaning rules.<\/p>\n

Those tickets added up to more than $65,000 in fines in 2024 alone, according to Automotive News, based on data reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle.<\/a><\/p>\n

Historically, California law only allowed moving violation tickets (like speeding or red lights) to be written if a human driver was present. JS Media \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the catch: when it comes to moving violations, like running a red light or speeding, police are stuck.<\/p>\n

California law is built around human drivers \u2014 and without one behind the wheel, there\u2019s no one to blame. <\/p>\n

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Waymo recently achieved a milestone of over 200,000 paid, fully autonomous, human-free rides in a single week. Getty Images<\/p>\n

As of early 2026, Waymo operates in 10 U.S. metropolitan areas and is expanding to cities like Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C. AP<\/p>\n

Even when driverless vehicles are stopped for illegal maneuvers, officers often can\u2019t write a traditional ticket and instead send reports to regulators.<\/p>\n

That leaves parking enforcement as one of the only tools available, since those citations are tied to the vehicle or its owner, not a driver.<\/p>\n

State lawmakers have moved to close the gap, passing legislation that will finally allow autonomous vehicles to be cited for moving violations.<\/p>\n

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Tuesday, regulators at the California Department of Motor Vehicles signed off on a plan to hold autonomous car companies responsible when their driverless rides break the rules.<\/p>\n

But the change won\u2019t take effect until later in 2026, leaving a long window where enforcement remains limited as robotaxi fleets expand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Data indicates Waymo\u2019s technology results in 92% fewer serious injury crashes and 83% fewer airbag deployments compared to human benchmarks. AP<\/p>\n

To close this loophole, new California legislation (Assembly Bill 1777) takes effect in\u00a0July 2026. Tomas E. Gaston for NY Post<\/p>\n

The \u201cWaymo Driver\u201d has logged over 200 million fully autonomous miles on public roads, equivalent to driving to the moon and back 80 times. AP<\/p>\n

The delay puts California behind places like Arizona and Texas, where authorities already treat the operating company as the legal driver and can issue tickets directly.<\/p>\n

Over a two month period in late 2024, when Waymo began operating in Los Angeles, the city issued 75 tickets to self-driving vehicles. <\/p>\n

Starting July 1, California\u2019s Assembly Bill 1777 allows law enforcement to issue notices<\/a> of noncompliance to driverless car manufacturers for moving violations, effectively closing a \u201crobot loophole.\u201d<\/p>\n

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