Waymos, robotaxis can now be ticketed by California police. But how exactly?
Starting July 1, 2026, California police will be able to issue traffic citations to autonomous vehicle manufacturers for traffic violations committed by their driverless cars. Previously, citations could only be issued to human drivers, leaving a gap in enforcement for robot-operated vehicles. The new rules, stemming from Assembly Bill 1777, establish a formal process for holding companies accountable when their self-driving vehicles break traffic laws.
- ▪Police can issue 'notices of AV noncompliance' to manufacturers starting July 1, 2026.
- ▪The regulation change addresses enforcement gaps for driverless vehicles that previously couldn't be cited.
- ▪Incidents like illegal U-turns and collisions with pedestrians highlighted the need for updated traffic enforcement rules.
- ▪Waymo vehicles have been involved in several high-profile traffic incidents in California and Georgia.
- ▪The new citations target the autonomous vehicle operator, not a human driver, under AB 1777.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
An autonomous Waymo all-electric Jaguar drives a passenger through the 2nd Street tunnel in Los Angeles on April 22, 2026. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) By Karen Garcia Staff Writer Follow May 1, 2026 Updated 7:04 AM PT 15 6 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Starting July 1, police will be able to cite autonomous vehicle manufacturers when their cars violate traffic laws. Previously, law enforcement officers were only permitted to hand traffic citations to humans behind the wheel.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Los Angeles Times.