Typically, when traffic cops see a car making an illegal move, they pull it over and ticket the driver. But, as two officers in California recently learned, this gets a lot more complicated when there is no driver in the vehicle.
The officers pulled over the vehicle in question when they saw it make an illegal U-turn at a traffic light. It turned out to be an empty self-driving car from Waymo, so there was no one for them to give a ticket to. Current law states that when an infraction is committed in a moving vehicle, a ticket can only be issued to a human driver.
The San Bruno Police Department shared details of the incident on social media, saying it was “a first for both officers.” The cops ended up deciding to contact Waymo and explain the situation, and they hope reprogramming from the company will prevent future incidents. The law is catching up to this one though, as a new state law set to take effect next year will allow police to report violations by moving autonomous vehicles to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
