Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1246, giving authorities real power to punish companies whose self-driving cars block first responders. The new rule applies to robotaxis that refuse to move out of the way of an ambulance.
Under the new law, AV operators like Waymo and Tesla face hefty fines if their vehicles block first responders for more than 30 minutes. The bill also sets statewide standards for AV operators and emergency response departments, including new requirements for two-way communication, company-hired “local incident technicians” that can respond to stalled or unresponsive vehicles, and updated fleet protocols.
The Fine
The 30-minute threshold is the headline. If a robotaxi refuses to yield, the clock starts ticking. After that half hour, the operator pays.
California has treated blocking an ambulance as something more than a technical glitch — it is a business issue, and the company behind the service now pays for it. The measure is direct, though it sends a clear message about what the state considers acceptable behavior on its roads.
Cortese’s Warning
Senator Dave Cortese wrote in a press release that the bill balances innovation with safety. “California has embraced autonomous vehicles, but we cannot embrace innovation at the expense of public safety,” he wrote.
What makes the warning stand out is the fact that the senator wrote the bill himself. He is warning companies that the state wants the technology, but will not permit it to break the system.
Waymo’s Numbers
Waymo is the operator of the largest autonomous vehicle service in the nation. The company has reported that over 500,000 Waymo trips are finished each week. Its fleet numbers more than 4,000 vehicles, working in 15 locations across the country, with the great bulk of them in California.
What separates an isolated incident from a systemic problem is the size of it. One Waymo vehicle that stops moving is unusual. A hundred Waymo vehicles stopping together is something else entirely — it becomes a repeated occurrence, and repeated occurrences are precisely what the proposed law aims to address.
Tesla’s Expansion
Tesla is also growing fast. The company recently launched and then scaled its Cybercab operation in Texas, an addition to its existing fleet of Model Y vehicles and “Robovans” deployed in seven metro areas. The company hasn’t disclosed recent numbers on the operation’s total size.
Self-driving taxis have become the subject of their own attention. The Cybercab rollout has generated it, with several viral incidents involving the technology. Passengers have been left mid-ride, city-wide traffic jams have occurred, and there was even a dangerously live firework show.
Federal Scrutiny
National pressure has prompted state-level action. The House AV Emergency Response Coordination Act was introduced by California representative Kevin Mullin in July, and it would create national safety standards for autonomous vehicles alongside coordination with emergency services.
Mullin’s statement pointed to several cases where robotaxis were said to block emergency vehicles, enter crime scenes without permission, and fail to detect urgent situations in five cities: Austin, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, and San Francisco.
A TechCrunch probe uncovered that emergency personnel often had to run Waymo machines while carrying out their regular duties and during emergencies, such as clearing vehicles blocking escape routes at a wildfire. Not long after, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stepped in with an appeal to car manufacturers to fix a serious “pattern” of self-driving cars getting in the way of first responders.
What the Bill Does
Beyond fines, SB 1246 calls for AV operators to work together with emergency response departments and local incident technicians who can deal with stalled or unresponsive vehicles. Fleet protocols are revised too.
Fines and standards now force operators to prepare for breakdowns. A robotaxi stopping on a highway has moved from a mere oddity into a costly exposure that carries a price tag.
The Bottom Line
This legislation aims to address an actual issue. Autonomous taxis have repeatedly drawn attention for wrong reasons, such as riders left midway through a trip, gridlock spreading across entire cities, and one incident involving a live fireworks display.
The Golden State has welcomed AVs, yet it attaches strings to the welcome. California allows innovation to move forward, on the condition that the roads stay open for all other drivers.
| Operator | Fleet Size | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Waymo | 4,000+ | 15 |
| Tesla | Undisclosed | 7 |
The stakes are great. One ambulance that has been stopped is one too many. The bill turns that single case into a cost.
Source material: “California announces AV regulation, fines for robotaxis that impede emergency responders,” Mashable.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.