Politics
California signs law fining robotaxis that block emergency responders
October 5, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 7 hours
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1246, imposing penalties on autonomous vehicle companies whose robotaxis obstruct emergency responders for over 30 minutes during crises.
- The law imposes penalties on Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox if a robotaxi blocks police or firefighters for more than 30 minutes.
- Companies must provide local incident technicians and employ only US-based remote drivers holding US driver's licenses.
- Developers must notify local jurisdictions of vehicle location and status during system-wide failures.
- The rules take effect July 1, 2028, following incidents including a Waymo robotaxi blocking an ambulance in Austin and stalled vehicles in San Francisco.