California passes new law: fines for robotaxis that block emergency crews

As TechCrunch reports, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1246, which sets new rules for operators of autonomous vehicles — robotaxis. The law requires companies such as Tesla, Waymo and Zoox to provide emergency crews, police and firefighters with local on-the-ground support when their vehicles cause problems, and imposes fines on them if a robotaxi blocks rescue crews for more than 30 minutes during an emergency.

According to TechCrunch’s reporting, the law follows a series of high-profile incidents in California, where robotaxis broke down on roads, obstructed traffic, entered crime scenes or hindered firefighters during interventions. The overwhelming majority of incidents involved Waymo, the largest robotaxi operator in the United States, with around 4,000 autonomous vehicles in its commercial fleet nationwide — of which around 1,200 in the San Francisco Bay Area alone. An earlier TechCrunch investigation found cases where Waymo had relied on firefighters to manually direct its vehicles.

The incidents prompted state and federal lawmakers to call for stricter rules, and even the U.S. road safety agency NHTSA sent a letter to developers of autonomous vehicles asking for “solutions.” The bill’s author, Senator Dave Cortese, said: “California has embraced autonomous vehicles, but we cannot embrace innovation at the expense of public safety. When an autonomous vehicle crashes, breaks down, blocks a road in an emergency or obstructs police or firefighters, there must be clear accountability.”

According to the text of the law, remote drivers must be based in the United States and hold a U.S. license. Tesla is the only company that has publicly stated it has remote operators capable of taking direct control of its robotaxis, while Waymo says it uses “remote assistance” — employees who give guidance, not direct control — with staff also in the Philippines and command centers in Arizona and Michigan. Companies must also notify local cities and municipalities about the location and status of vehicles during systemic failures and provide “local incident technicians” near accidents and obstructions.

Waymo and Zoox have said they will comply with the law; a Waymo spokesman said the company is committed to safer roads in California and to continuously improving the service. The law takes effect in July 2028, while California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will set the guidelines, including required response times.