State authorities closed a regulatory gap this week that allowed Waymo and other robotaxi companies to dodge consequences when their cars broke traffic laws, but critics say a lack of fines means police can’t recoup enforcement costs as they do with human scofflaws. Regulations issued April 28 by the California Department of Vehicles include a provision allowing police to issue notices of “noncompliance” to robotaxi companies when the vehicles commit moving violations. “This really shows the DMV trying to make progress on fixing problems based on what we’ve seen go wrong,” said Phil Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor emeritus who studies autonomous-vehicle technology. “The question is, ‘How is it going to work out?'” Unlike with human drivers, robotaxi lawbreaking under the new rules, which the DMV issued administratively under its authority to regulate autonomous vehicles, does not carry fines or license-style penalties, such as points that can lead to suspension. Instead, starting July 1, police alleging violations can put the noncompliance notice in the car or hand it to a robotaxi company representative. The company must report the incident to the DMV within 72 hours, or 24 hours if the officer has designated the incident a priority because of “a clear or potential danger or risk of injury to others,” the regulations said. “It’s almost literally a note sent home from the teacher,” Koopman said. “They don’t even get fined. On the other hand, do you think $300 matters in the slightest to Waymo? The answer is, it doesn’t.” It does, however, matter to local authorities. South Bay state Sen. Dave Cortese, who chairs the Senate’s Transportation Committee, said the regulations burden local jurisdictions with enforcing traffic laws on robotaxis, but without the revenue from fines that help pay for enforcement on human drivers. “The state’s come in and