California has started issuing traffic citations to driverless cars under a new set of Department of Motor Vehicles regulations that took effect July 1, closing a gap that had left autonomous vehicles effectively immune from tickets even when they ran red lights or blocked active emergency scenes. The DMV announced the rules Tuesday, April 28, describing them as the most comprehensive autonomous vehicle framework adopted by any state to date. Under the new system, the agency will issue “Notices of AV Noncompliance” to autonomous vehicle companies whenever their cars commit moving violations, including running red lights, failing to yield to pedestrians, or entering an active emergency zone. Companies must report the details of each incident to the DMV within 72 hours, or within 24 hours for more serious cases. For a car accident lawyer evaluating a claim involving a robotaxi, the change addresses some evidentiary gaps. Existing traffic law was written around the assumption that a human sits behind the wheel. Officers who witnessed a driverless vehicle break the law had no mechanism to document it the way they would a citation issued to a person. When Robotaxis Were Pulled Over Without a Driver The issue became public last September, when a San Bruno police officer pulled over a Waymo for making an illegal U-turn and found there was no driver to cite. The department notified Waymo directly so the company could correct the software error, since remote human operators, often based in the Philippines, provide navigational guidance to the vehicles when needed. “I think it’s a great standard that’s set in place,” San Bruno Police Sgt. Scott Smithmatungol said. “If human drivers are to be held accountable or held to a standard, I think autonomous vehicle companies should be as well.” The regulations also grew out of a December