California starts issuing tickets to autonomous vehicles that violate traffic laws

California's DMV has changed its autonomous vehicle (AV) violation enforcement procedure, allowing police to send a notice of AV noncompliance directly to manufacturers instead of the driver. The new rule takes effect on July 1 and is part of the 2024 law. The DMV described it as the most comprehensive AV regulation in the US.

• Police can notify manufacturers of an AV's moving violation.
• AV companies must respond to calls from police and emergency response agencies within 30 seconds.
• Penalties apply if a vehicle enters an active emergency zone.

This measure is focused on filling the enforcement gap where it was difficult to issue tickets in the conventional way to vehicles without a driver. The article cites, as background, a case in San Bruno where a Waymo made an illegal U-turn but could not be ticketed, and a case during a San Francisco power outage where multiple Waymo vehicles blocked intersections and worsened congestion. Waymo operates robotaxis in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, and Tesla also holds testing permits in some cities.