California cops confused after trying to give ticket to self-driving car
- Reference: 1759190243
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/09/29/california_cops_self_driving/
- Source link:
The incident happened in San Bruno, where cops set up a checkpoint to catch intoxicated drivers. As cars lined up, one vehicle, a self-driving Waymo, pulled an illegal U-turn and began to drive away.
The cops fired up their lights and the Waymo pulled over automatically as the robo-cab operator trains its cars to do. But the police officers who pursued the robo-taxi couldn't hand out a ticket, since the driverless taxi had nobody inside.
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"Since there was no human driver, a ticket couldn’t be issued (our citation books don’t have a box for 'robot')," [2]said the San Bruno Police Department on its Facebook page. "Hopefully the reprogramming will keep it from making any more illegal moves. It was a first for both officers."
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Human drivers who make illegal turns risk a $234 fine, plus court fees if drivers contest a ticket. San Bruno’s police admitted they currently lack the authority to bill the vehicle's operator. However, changes are in progress to make that possible, the force said.
"Waymo’s autonomous driving system, the Waymo Driver, is designed to respect the rules of the road," the car biz told The Register . "We are looking into this situation and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience."
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Self-driving vehicles can pick up tickets for parking violations like blocking street cleaning or overstaying in a spot. In 2024 Waymo [6]reportedly racked up $65,065 in parking tickets in San Francisco, a tiny fraction of the $120 million worth of tickets issued around the city in that year.
But when California started handing out licenses to the makers of autonomous vehicles, authorities granted robo-taxi operators a waiver on minor traffic offenses.
[7]New Yorkers will soon be able to yell 'I'm walkin here!' to Waymo robotaxis
[8]Waymo plots Dallas robotaxi launch, stays ahead of Tesla in Texas turf war
[9]Tesla Robotaxi videos show Elon's way behind Waymo
[10]Tesla starts sort-of Robotaxi service in San Francisco by invite only
That's due to change. Last year, the California state assembly voted through [11]Assembly Bill No. 1777 which makes the operators of autonomous vehicles subject to moving violations starting from July 1, 2026.
California is playing catch up. Waymo has operated in Phoenix, Arizona, for nearly five years now and this issue has cropped up there as well. On June 19, 2024, cops spotted a Waymo [12]driving down the wrong side of the road and running a red light.
After the vehicle stopped, the officer spoke to a remote operator and said he didn't issue a ticket. But police have had the right to do this since 2018, when lawmakers amended local laws.
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Other states have either already amended their laws or are in the process of doing so. Which begs the question: What took California so long, given that autonomous taxi operations started in the state? ®
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[6] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/03/13/waymo-robotaxis-parking-tickets/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/22/new_york_waymo_ratso_rizzo/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/29/waymo_to_expand_dallas/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/24/tesla_robotaxi_austin/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/31/tesla_robotaxi_san_francisco/
[11] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1777
[12] https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2024/07/02/what-happens-when-a-waymo-gets-pulled-over-in-phoenix/74197111007/
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aNtV1quyVJ8Vv4HUqx8_qgAAAVQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
What took California so long?
Simple answer:
The fuckheaded, under-educated NIMBY Greens are in charge, and for them electric cars that allow them to drive while drunk or stoned (and usually both, from what I've seen ...) can do no wrong.
You can spot the smart ones ... they take a good, old-fashioned taxi.
Tow it. When the owner wants their car back, bill them for the tow (at suitable margin), storage, and the fee for violation. When the payment clears, they can have their vehicle back.
Any passengers will just have to find a new ride.
Science upended by the desire for entertainment and revenge.
You see the same thing when there is an airplane crash: the demand that everyone be punished.
The desire for entertainment and revenge -- the public popularity of hanging and whippings -- causes denial, self defense and blame shifting.
We've been in the development phase of self driving cars, when it was more important to find true proximate and ultimate cause of faults.
Now, the ignorant and stupid (as demonstrated here) don't care about reducing casualties and improving traffic: they just want to see someone punished.
To ticket RoboTaxis
You obviously need RoboCops
Specifically ED-209 by the great American company, Omni Consumer Products
Self driving cars have to follow the rules, else humans will tend to copy them.
Running a red light is really dangerous - we know these cars have problems detecting cyclists and pedestrians.
Mail the ticket to Waymo
Each one of the cars has a number on it and there should be a GPS log of where it is at any given time. The police can pull the car over, get the number and plaster a copy of the citation on the windshield using that adhesive that's a bastard to remove from glass. I expect Waymo would summon the car back to their car park and have somebody with a razor blade remove the sticker. Make the top copy easy to take off for reference. If Waymo doesn't pay the fine, they can lose their operating license.
Layers of obfuscation are the American Way
When regular people do things wrong, there are fines and jail time. When corporations do something wrong, all politicians who have regulatory purview of the said infraction, are manhandled to fix the laws so they don't apply, or they are mysteriously disappeared. Either literally or by electoral challenge at the next opportunity. Not fair you say? No. It is not. Thank Citizens United.