Artificial intelligence breaks regulations, Waymo and Tesla will pay. Police with new powers

Police in the US state of California will be able to issue tickets to autonomous cars that violate traffic regulations. Appropriate regulations have been adopted by the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the BBC reported.

Driverless cars are an increasingly common sight in some California cities, but until now police have been unable to issue tickets for breaking the law.

According to the new regulations, from July 1, the police will be able to issue a “notification of violation of regulations by an autonomous car” directly to the manufacturer. They will also oblige manufacturers to answer calls from police and emergency services within 30 seconds. A penalty will also be imposed for an autonomous car entering the rescue operations zone.

One of the largest operators of autonomous taxis in the San Francisco and Los Angeles area is Waymo, but other companies, including Tesla, also have permission to test their robot taxis.

Last September Police officers in the city of San Bruno near San Francisco noticed a Waymo taxi making an illegal U-turn at a traffic light right in front of their car, but they could not issue a ticket because the vehicle had no driver.

In December, a blackout in San Francisco left several Waymo vehicles stuck at busy intersections, and the San Francisco Fire Department complains that robotaxis are hindering its ability to respond quickly to emergencies. (PAP)

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