Cliff Notes
- California police stopped a Waymo car after observing it perform an illegal U-turn, only to find it was driverless.
- Officers were unable to issue a ticket since there was no human driver, leading to discussions with Waymo via in-car equipment.
- The police department is working on legislation to allow them to issue notices directly to autonomous vehicle companies regarding violations.
Driverless Waymo car makes illegal U-turn in California – and can’t be given a ticket | US News
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Police in California stopped a car after seeing it do an illegal U-turn – only to discover it was driverless.
The Waymo was spotted making the manoeuvre “right in front” of officers at a light, San Bruno Police Department said.
“Since there was no human driver, a ticket couldn’t be issued,” it said, adding officers cannot book a “robot”.
There was “no driver, no hands, no clue”, the police department quipped, describing the experience as coming with a “plot twist”.
The vehicle pulled over as soon as officers flashed their lights and sounded a siren.
They were then able to talk to someone from Waymo using equipment inside the car.
The police department said it was hopeful “reprogramming” would stop the vehicle from making any more illegal moves.
Legislation is being prepared to enable officers to issue notices directly to companies.
Waymo told Sky News’ US partner network NBC it is “looking into the situation” and committed to improving safety through “ongoing learnings and experience”.
The company has been operating autonomous cars in San Bruno since June.
Earlier in the year, another of its cars started driving around in circles.
Last year, Waymo was forced to fix a fleet of its cars after residents complained about their constant honking.