A new California bill will create a process allowing police officers to issue tickets to driverless cars if they commit traffic violations.
According to Road & Track, California State Assembly Bill 1777 will take effect on July 1, 2026, giving officers a formal process to penalize autonomous vehicles that break traffic laws.
More specifically, Assembly Bill 1777 will allow officers to issue “autonomous vehicle noncompliance notices” and record the “date, time, and location of the alleged violation and the vehicle’s license plate number.”
However, because stopping autonomous cars and physically writing tickets for them is considered impractical, lawmakers developed a more efficient system. Instead of physical citations, driverless vehicle operators such as Waymo will receive noncompliance notices directly from California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The DMV will review incidents reported by officers and determine what penalties, if any, are necessary. If an autonomous vehicle is involved in an at-fault accident, officers will issue noncompliance citations to the operator’s representative, who must go to the scene and respond to the violation.
In addition to the rules mentioned above, Assembly Bill 1777 also establishes further regulations regarding autonomous vehicle behavior during emergency responses or within restricted areas.
As part of the new requirements, driverless vehicle operators must create a dedicated emergency response hotline and provide a two-way communication device so first responders can speak directly with a remote human operator.
The bill will also allow emergency responders to create virtual geofences, which operators must obey within two minutes after receiving the alert, keeping vehicles away from crime scenes and other restricted areas.
Additionally, the bill introduces stricter testing and enforcement standards for autonomous vehicles. Requirements include up to 500,000 miles of testing, depending on the size and weight of the vehicle, along with annual interaction plans with emergency responders and new data-sharing criteria.
“If a manufacturer fails to correct the issue or if repeated failures occur, the department may take administrative action, including restricting or suspending the manufacturer’s operating permit,” said Jonathan Groveman in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
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