By Ricardo Roura
California Police Departments They will soon be able to begin issuing traffic violations to autonomous vehicles and require manufacturers to take them off the roads during emergencies.
He California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reported in a statement that new rules were adopted that will apply to autonomous vehicles, such as Waymo taxis, with the application of the SB Fifty three law, which expanded oversight of this technology.
Regulations go into effect in California starting July 1, 2026.
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The regulations are intended to address issues that local officials and residents have faced. as self-driving cars become a new normal in several cities in California.
In recent months, a Waymo autonomous vehicle made an illegal U-turn at a traffic light right in front of police officers in San Bruno, San Mateo County, while another self-driving car failed to stop for a school bus in Atlanta, San Joaquin County.
Under previous state law, traffic violations were imposed on a human driver with the purpose of correcting your driving behaviorsanctions that applied to the driver’s license of the person responsible, according to the newspaper “Los Angeles Times”.
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Waymo, owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, stated that Their autonomous vehicles are programmed to respect traffic rules and give way to emergency transport.
The company also stated its commitment to improving road safety as it expands its operations in the Golden State.
“California continues to lead the country in development and the adoption of autonomous vehicle technologyand these updated regulations further demonstrate the state’s commitment to public safety,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon.
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“These updates support the growth of the autonomous vehicle industry by improving public safety and transparencywhile increasing the responsibility of the manufacturers of these vehicles,” added the manager.
The Department of Motor Vehicles also issued other regulations for autonomous vehicles, such as require manufacturers to conduct more extensive testing to obtain permits, add new training and other requirements for employees who help operate vehicles remotely.
Additionally, data collection and reporting is required on autonomous vehicle incidents related to security.
Keep reading: California DMV could stop Tesla sales for 30 days
For more information about the new regulations For autonomous vehicles in California, you can check this link.
Keep reading:
· NVIDIA and the chip war: the impact on autonomous cars
· Waymo company begins charging for driverless taxi service in Los Angeles
· Waymo self-driving taxi service available from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica
