San Bruno police officers recently pulled over a Waymo autonomous vehicle after it made an illegal U-turn during a DUI enforcement operation. However, no ticket was issued because the citation books do not have a box for 'robot', the department said on social media.
The incident highlights a legal gap that California is moving to close. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill last year allowing police to issue a 'notice of noncompliance' to driverless cars that break traffic laws. The law takes effect in July 2026 and also requires companies to provide an emergency phone line for first responders.
Assemblymember Phil Ting of San Francisco introduced the legislation after several incidents involving autonomous vehicles, including blocking traffic, dragging a pedestrian, interfering with firetrucks, and entering active crime scenes. Under the new law, if a driverless car violates traffic rules, police can order the company to move the vehicle or avoid an area within two minutes.
Waymo, which originated from Google's X research lab in 2009, said in a statement that its driving system is designed to respect road rules and that it is investigating the illegal U-turn. The company has faced previous issues, including a recall of over 1,200 vehicles earlier this year due to a software problem causing collisions with stationary barriers, and a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation last year after reports of erratic driving.
The San Bruno Police Department reiterated that legislation is in progress to allow officers to issue notices to companies, addressing public concerns that officers were being too lenient.
