California is closing a years-old legal loophole that made driverless cars effectively untouchable by traffic police. Starting this summer, autonomous vehicle manufacturers can be fined directly for moving violations committed by their vehicles. The question is: aren’t robotaxis built to behave under all conditions?
For years, driverless cars in California operated in a gray zone. When a Waymo robotaxi commits a traffic violation, officers can pull it over, and the vehicle recognizes the intervention. But, obviously, the police had no one to hand a ticket to. Under existing California law, traffic citations had to be issued to a licensed human behind the wheel. So, no driver, no fine.
Enforcement intermediary
That gap is now being formally closed. California officials signed a law that introduces a new legal instrument: the “notice of autonomous vehicle noncompliance.” From July 1 this year, patrolling officers across the state will be authorized to issue fines directly to the vehicle’s manufacturer. The Department of Motor Vehicles (comparable to the DIV in Belgium) acts as the enforcement intermediary.
The regulation was a long time coming. But it was one incident in particular that crystallized the problem. In 2025, a Waymo vehicle made an illegal U-turn at a traffic light in San Bruno, directly in front of two police officers. They pulled the car over. They peered into the empty driver’s seat. And they drove away, unable to act upon the dangerous traffic violation.
Incidents shape the law
Robotaxis are designed to obey the law and follow traffic rules strictly. But practice doesn’t match the lab theory. Especially in the US, where, contrary to Europe, public roads function as the proving ground. In Austin, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) documented at least 24 incidents in which Waymo vehicles passed stopped school buses since the start of the recent school year. Waymo was forced to issue a software recall for those vehicles.
Another incident that drew sharp criticism, this time from fire department officials: during a major San Francisco blackout, multiple Waymos stalled in active intersections, blocking emergency responses. The new law will press the robotaxi manufacturers to enhance system dependability and increase their liability. They might overthink before hastily launching a new version.
Most cases are reviewed by the DMV, which then decides what remediation, if any, is required. The consequence can be severe. Repeated or unresolved violations can escalate to operating restrictions or an outright ban.
Different layers
But the law is deliberately layered. When a police officer witnesses a minor violation, such as parking in the wrong place, they can issue a simple notice identifying the date, time, location, and license plate. If the vehicle is involved in a collision and at fault, a manufacturer’s representative receives the citation directly. In all other cases, the officer reports the incident to both the DMV and the manufacturer within 72 hours (24 hours for more serious violations).
Manufacturers must also maintain an annually updated “First Responder Interaction Plan”. This is a publicly available document explaining how law enforcement can interact with the vehicle. It also provides them with access to registration and insurance documents and enables them to reach a remote operator within 30 seconds. Emergency crews can now also access a command function that can clear blocking vehicles. The California DMV calls this package “the most comprehensive AV regulations in the nation.”
Furthermore, the new law is not just about fines. It also mandates substantially more rigorous pre-testing, up to 500,000 miles depending on vehicle weight class, with both supervised and fully driverless test runs required. It also opens California’s market to autonomous heavy freight vehicles weighing more than 4.54 tonnes, which were previously prohibited in the state.
The European contrast
While California is rushing to build an enforcement framework for robotaxis that are already operating, Europe is still constructing the runway for them to land. The EU’s current framework remains limited to small-series vehicles. These are only allowed within defined geographic limits, while continuous human supervision remains mandatory. Broader approvals are in the making, though. As such, the California approach is a regulatory milestone. But, then again, Europe works the other way around: first the complete set of rules, then the product.
