The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced new regulations for autonomous vehicles. In this context, police teams will now be able to directly fine robotaxis of companies such as Waymo and Tesla that violate traffic rules.

These rules, which will come into force as of July 1, oblige autonomous vehicle companies to respond to emergency calls within 30 seconds. Emergency dispatchers will also be able to issue geofencing orders to move robotaxis away from active response areas.

Details of the New Regulations

Previously, driverless vehicles were exempt from traffic fines because there was no human being to receive the fine. After nearly three years of legal studies, this gap was resolved and the legal responsibility of autonomous vehicles was placed on companies.

Waymo has a wide network of operations in major cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. While testing processes continue in regions such as Sacramento and San Diego, Tesla continues its preparations to offer robotaxi services in California.

The California Gig Workers Union opposes this technology, arguing that autonomous vehicles pose safety risks. Union representatives state that situations such as robotaxis entering active police intervention areas create serious security problems.

Robotaxi Complaints from Emergency Teams

Firefighters, police officers and paramedics express concerns that the performance of autonomous vehicles decreases over time. At a private meeting with federal officials in March, it was reported that robotaxis were clogging up fire stations and locking themselves in place during dangerous moments.

Waymo, on the other hand, defends its own safety records and emphasizes that its vehicles have fewer accidents than human drivers. According to company data, although 500 thousand paid rides are made weekly, this figure remains well below Uber’s global ride capacity of 36 million per day.

How do you evaluate whether the inclusion of autonomous vehicles in traffic rules will solve the safety problems on the streets?