San Bruno, California witnessed an unusual incident over the weekend involving a self-driving taxi service called “Waymo” being stopped by the police for making an illegal left turn. The vehicle was unmanned, leading to a situation where the police were unable to issue a ticket.
The San Bruno Police Department shared an amusing anecdote on social media on Sunday (September 28th): during a DUI checkpoint operation on the morning of September 27th (last Saturday), a Waymo self-driving taxi made an unlawful U-turn in front of them. When the officers stopped the vehicle for inspection, they were surprised to find no human driver inside, causing both confusion and amusement among the officers.
This marked the first encounter for the police with a self-driving car committing a violation. Due to the absence of a “robot” category on the ticket, they were unable to issue a citation. As a result, they have called for relevant legislation to be passed by the council so that future incidents involving such companies can be addressed appropriately.
Sharing a photo of an officer peering inside the driverless vehicle on social media, the police stated, “No driver, no hands, no clues.” They categorized this event as a “system failure” and reached out to Waymo for feedback.
The authorities expressed their hope for Waymo to redesign its program to prevent vehicles from engaging in illegal maneuvers. They emphasized their commitment to upholding street safety in San Bruno, whether it involves human drivers, passengers, or even driverless vehicles.
This incident has sparked public interest in the legal regulations surrounding self-driving cars and traffic safety measures.
The post by the San Bruno Police Department has garnered over five hundred comments, with many expressing anger at the lack of a ticket issued to Waymo and others curious about how the officers managed to stop the vehicle.
Officer Scott Smithmatungol of the San Bruno Police Department explained that tickets for traffic violations can only be issued to human drivers or operators, and such citations cannot be affixed directly to the vehicle like parking tickets.
Currently, California law restricts law enforcement from issuing driving violation tickets to self-driving cars, but a new law set to take effect next year will allow reports of such violations to be transmitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The DMV is in the process of clarifying the implementation details of the new law, including the handling of violations and penalties.
Waymo, a company developing autonomous vehicles, is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (Google’s parent company). It currently offers self-driving taxi services in various locations such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the southern region, including the suburban area of San Bruno.
A spokesperson for Waymo stated that the company is investigating the incident and is committed to continuously improving to enhance road safety.
(Adapted from the report by the Associated Press)