Police in California were unable to issue a ticket to the driver of a car performing an illegal U-turn after realizing there was nobody behind the wheel.
The San Bruno Police Department pulled over the Waymo vehicle during a DUI enforcement detail after it made the illegal maneuver. However, they were surprised to discover it was a self-driving car, rather than being able to speak to a person behind the wheel.
In a September 28 post on Facebook, the Police Department explained how it was unable to issue a penalty as officers’ citation books “don’t have a box for ‘robot.'”
“Officers stopped the vehicle and contacted the company to let them know about the ‘glitch,'” the statement continued, adding that they hoped the system would “keep it from making any more illegal moves,” after some “reprogramming.”
Legal loopholes leave police powerless
As California law requires a human driver to issue a moving violation, police were unable to issue a ticket for the U‑turn. The department noted that legislation is in progress that will allow issuing “notices of noncompliance” to companies operating autonomous vehicles.
Waymo confirmed it is reviewing the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to safety, telling the LA Times that the autonomous system is “designed to respect the rules of the road.”
While this may be the first run-in with a misbehaving driverless car for San Bruno police, it’s not the first instance of one causing trouble.
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