With more autonomous vehicles hitting the roads in major cities, one state is putting new rules in place to give police the power to ticket these cars, ending a regulatory loophole.
California Cracks Down On Robotaxis
Robotaxis from Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Alphabet Inc-owned (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Waymo face new rules in the state of California, one of the key areas where the vehicles are being tested.
Police in the state will soon be able to give tickets to driverless vehicles that commit moving violations, according to a report from Teslarati.
The change from the California DMW was adopted in April and will go into effect on July 1, 2026.
Up until the change, police were only able to give parking tickets to the driverless vehicles. Robotaxis were able to commit moving violations without the ability for police to issue citations.
When the new rules go into effect, a police officer will treat the company that makes the vehicle as the "driver" and issue the ticket to them. Companies like Tesla and Waymo then have to report the tickets to the DMV within 72 hours for a normal ticket or 24 hours if a collision is part of the ticket.
Failure to report the incidents could lead to reductions in the number of vehicles allowed or the rejection of a robotaxi permit.
Will Timing Slow Down Progress
While only one state is acting so far, California’s move lands at a pivotal moment for Tesla and Waymo — and it cuts straight to one of the central promises of robotaxis: safer roads.
Tesla is expanding its robotaxis to new cities and actively increasing the number of vehicles in its fleet. The company previously said it plans to launch robotaxis in seven new cities in the first half of 2026.
Depending on the number of violations, Tesla could see its rollout in California face pressure and have fewer vehicles.
The need to report violations could also make more data public about how often robotaxis commit traffic violations and get caught by police.
Image via Shutterstock
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