California law sets fines for robotaxis that impede 911 response

A new California bill, signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom last week, will ensure those blips hit car makers harder.

Under SB 1246, AV operators such as Waymo and Tesla will face hefty fines if their vehicles block first responders for more than 30 minutes.

"California has embraced autonomous vehicles, but we cannot embrace innovation at the expense of public safety," wrote bill author and California Senator Dave Cortese in a press release.

In July, California representative Kevin Mullin introduced the House AV Emergency Response Coordination Act, which would establish national safety standards for autonomous vehicles and emergency response coordination.

Mullin's announcement cited incidents of robotaxis allegedly obstructing emergency vehicles, breaching crime scenes, and failing to recognize emergency conditions in Austin, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, and San Francisco.