With the age of autonomous vehicles dawning upon us, driverless car violations seem to be piling up. These driverless cars are surely getting in to trouble for actions such as passing stopped school buses and for making illegal U-turns on the road. The problem is that the traffic police cannot hold anyone accountable for the wrongdoings of these driverless cars. One state refuses to remain blindsided by autonomous vehicles anymore, and this state is solving accountability issues. The question that arises is: who will take the blame for the wrongs of these driverless cars?
The legal loophole to the accountability law thus far
The issue of who to hold accountable surfaced in San Bruno, California, when police officers caught a robotaxi making an illegal U-turn at an intersection that was clearly designated as a “No U-turn zone”. Upon pulling the vehicle aside, police officers found that the vehicle was driverless and there was no one to take the blame for such a blunder on the road.
As per the more dated law in the state of California, tickets can only be issued to human drivers. Thus, the police realized it was not permissible to give a robotaxi a ticket. The state rules are not comprehensive enough to include the rise of autonomous vehicles. However, the problem of holding driverless vehicles accountable for illegal road actions is a problem faced by most states where AVs are driving on the roads. Not being able to hold an AV responsible for illegal road action is a serious problem, particularly in a state like California, which allows AV testing and deployment.
Questions arise as to whether driverless cars are still safe
While there are some downsides to autonomous vehicles being on our roads, many citizens still view AVs as promising. AV technology is said to be better than human drivers, who often battle with fatigue and distractions when driving on the roads. While autonomous vehicles generally do drive fine, they will need to have consequences for wrongdoings on the road. Holding AV’s accountable for mishaps on the road will eliminate some fear that AVs will do the wrong action yet again. One state has found a solution and is ready to take some action.
One state has found a solution to driverless car violations
California is the one state that has found a solution and is designing a new law to bridge any gaps. Police officers will issue citations to the AV operator. Starting from July 2026, notices of autonomous vehicles non-compliance will be sent directly to the AV companies. Thus, companies like Waymo and Zoox will be held accountable if AVs don’t comply with road rules. The notifications of autonomous vehicles non-compliance will be seen as being somewhat like a traffic ticket.
The new law is not only being put in place to hold someone accountable for the actions of driverless vehicles on the roads, but also for data collection purposes. By trend tracking and opening up a feedback loops, AV behavior on the roads can improve as well. Waymo, the most well-known AV operator in California, stated that the company is committed to ensuring that its AVs respond to driving violations as humans would.
Since white color may soon be added to traffic lights for AVs in one state, it is only fair that road laws change to cater to AVs on the road in another state.
An attempt by the state to ensure fair traffic law enforcement
California Assembly Bill 1777 seems to be setting the tone for AVs on the road, it is not the only state where driverless vehicles are seen to be breaking the law. Road laws were broken by AVs in Atlanta and Los Angeles, too. California, however, is the state that is showing we cannot rely on archaic road laws anymore since driverless cars are taking over our streets. If California succeeds, it may set an example for other states to follow when reacting to AVs on the roads, else we will have to say goodbye to self-driving cars as we know it in all of the states.
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