California is the place where innovation happens nowadays. That's one of the reasons why the state's tech sector continues to attract talent from all over the world. But all this novelty can come at a cost for locals. Take robotaxis as proof. Not only do these EVs take up what little is left of the public space and can disrupt the flow of traffic, but they are also exempted from receiving tickets. Here's what you need to know.
Cruise and Waymo are the most well-known robotaxi brands. The two have taken serious steps toward automating driving by releasing self-driving cars on public roads and allowing strangers to ride in them. But only one of those entities called humans "terrible drivers" in an ad, and has simultaneously been involved in multiple mishaps.
For some reason, Cruise thought it would be a good idea to increase the popularity of robotaxis by forcing people to believe they aren't as good as some computers when they're sitting behind the steering wheel. It backfired. On multiple occasions!
In mid-2023, the GM-owned company landed in hot water after multiple people said they saw one of the robotaxis block emergency services from reaching the scene of a mass shooting. An investigation revealed that wasn't the case, but the PR damage was already done.
That prompted more people to look into how these autonomous vehicles are held responsible for acting like distracted or temporarily emotionally unstable drivers. San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency found that the robotaxis couldn't be cited for moving violations. Why? Simply because there wasn't anyone in the driver's seat.
Surprisingly, it wasn't something they figured out right then and there. A San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Directive from 2022 instructed officers that autonomous vehicles weren't exempt from any traffic violations but underlined at the same time that "no citation for a moving violation can be issued if the AV is being operated in a driverless mode."
An official SFPD memo NBC News found confirms that the practice is still in play. The Police can't give traffic tickets stemming from moving violations to robotaxis.
What companies like Waymo or Cruise have to deal with are parking citations and "fix it" violations. There's that, at least.
Photo: @PopRag via Twitter
People familiar with the matter claim that the Golden State must change the law before this practice can change. Until then, Cruise and Waymo must make sure that their vehicles are more responsible than human drivers.
Sadly, that has already been proven a challenging task. One Cruise robotaxi got into a horrific accident that forced the hand of the California Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend the company's driverless permits. But even that drastic measure only came after officials discovered that GM's subsidiary withheld a few bits of important information.
Cruise can still train their systems, but only with a human sitting behind the steering wheel. SFPD can finally give tickets to these smart zero-emission cars because a person controls them. Waymo, however, retains its immunity.
Finally, this remains an issue only in California. Texas and Arizona, two states robotaxi operators eye for expansion, allow police officers to ticket the owners regardless of whether someone is behind the steering wheel.
How the law will adapt to these ever-changing circumstances remains to be seen. Soon enough, these companies and others want to put autonomous vehicles with no steering wheel on the road. Someone must be held liable if and when something goes wrong.
And to think that autonomous semi-trucks might soon be allowed to blend with human-operated vehicles…
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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