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California law enforcement will soon be able to issue traffic tickets to driverless cars, such as robotaxis and Waymos. The Department of Motor Vehicles announced this week that it adopted the new rules, which go into effect July 1.<\/p>\n
Why are we ticketing robots? The rules are meant to enhance safety requirements, oversight and enforcement, according to the DMV. Driverless robotaxis, such as Waymo, have taken over parts of Los Angeles and caused outcry for crashing into parked cars in Echo Park<\/a> or injuring a child near a Santa Monica elementary school<\/a>. Other companies, such as Zoox<\/a>, also plan to expand into Los Angeles. Waymo did not immediately respond to LAist\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n What are the rules: According to the new law<\/a>, officers can issue a notice to the manufacturer if they see an autonomous vehicle break traffic laws. Manufacturers that don\u2019t comply could have their permits restricted or suspended.<\/p>\n Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n Other highlights:\u00a0<\/p>\n Local emergency officials can issue electric geofencing boundaries to clear autonomous vehicles from active emergency zones.\u00a0Local governments can also issue temporary \u201cdo not enter\u201d or \u201crestricted\u201d zones in response to public safety issues.\u00a0Carmakers must provide access to the manual override system on autonomous vehicles and allow two-way communication lines between operators and first responders.\u00a0<\/p>\n Go deeper\u2026 We took self-driving Waymo cars for a test ride. This is what happened.<\/a><\/p>\n