San Bruno police were unable to issue a ticket after stopping a Waymo driverless car for making an illegal U-turn, highlighting gaps in traffic enforcement for autonomous vehicles.
San Bruno police faced an unusual dilemma after pulling over a Waymo autonomous vehicle that made an illegal U-turn, only to discover no driver was present to cite.
The incident occurred in San Bruno, California, when officers stopped the driverless car, which immediately followed its programmed protocol by pulling over and connecting police to a Waymo employee through its in-vehicle communication system.
Despite the traffic violation, officers were unable to issue a ticket because the vehicle lacked a human driver. “How do you issue a citation if no one is behind the wheel?” the department posted on social media, noting that the case underscored regulatory gaps in managing autonomous cars.
California authorities will address this issue starting in July 2026, when police will gain the power to cite autonomous vehicle companies directly for infractions committed by their self-driving fleets.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, currently operates in California, Austin, and Atlanta.