Police in San Bruno, California, stopped a self-driving Waymo taxi after it made an illegal U-turn during a DUI operation early Saturday morning. When officers approached the vehicle, they found there was no driver to cite for the traffic violation.
The San Bruno Police Department shared details of the incident on social media, stating that their “citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot’.” The post included photos showing an officer looking into the empty car and read: “That’s right … no driver, no hands, no clue.”
Officers contacted Waymo to report what they described as a “glitch” and expressed hope that reprogramming would prevent future violations. The department’s Facebook post received more than 500 comments. Many users questioned why police did not ticket the company and asked how officers managed to get the autonomous vehicle to pull over.
Sergeant Scott Smithmatungol explained that police can only issue moving violation tickets to human drivers or operators, unlike parking tickets which can be left with the vehicle. He added that a new state law set to take effect next year will allow police to report moving violations by autonomous vehicles to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV is currently determining how such violations will be handled and what penalties may apply.
Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina commented on the situation: “We are looking into this situation and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience.” She noted that Waymo’s autonomous driving system is closely monitored by regulators.
Waymo vehicles currently operate in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and surrounding areas including San Bruno. Sergeant Smithmatungol remarked on the widespread attention generated by their social media post: “It blew up a lot bigger than we thought,” he told The Associated Press. He also noted that San Bruno has about 40,000 residents and a sworn police force of 50 officers.
