--- title: "AV Companies Might be in Trouble Now As Cops Start Ticketing Driverless Cars" description: "New regulations from the California DMV will allow police to issue traffic citations to autonomous vehicles." date: "2026-05-01" modified: "2026-05-01" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/autonomous-vehicles-dmv-ticket" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" --- # AV Companies Might be in Trouble Now As Cops Start Ticketing Driverless Cars ![A police officer is standing next to a white Waymo autonomous Jaguar SUV at night, looking inside the driver's side window.]() *San Bruno PD / Futurism* Autonomous vehicles have an accountability problem. Because there's no driver, there's nobody to hold liable when the car misbehaves. This means that when a [Waymo blocks an ambulance]() on its way to an emergency, or a Tesla robotaxi [speeds past a stopped school bus](), traffic authorities have no recourse to impose a penalty. For years, this created a bifurcated system where for-profit companies could break traffic laws that would land individuals in hot water, though that may not be the case much longer. In California, at least, the Department of Motor Vehicles has now ruled that AVs are no longer exempt from traffic citations, which could have huge implications for the companies pumping city streets full of self-driving cars. Per [the *San Francisco Standard*](), the first-of-its-kind regulation likewise mandates that AVs comply with emergency personnel within 30 seconds of being given an instruction, under penalty of having their permits suspended. Ideally, regulators hope the new directive will prevent AVs from [draining public resources]() and [clogging urban roadways](), like Waymo did during a [city-wide power outage]() in San Francisco last December. "California continues to lead the nation in the development and adoption of AV technology, and these updates regulations further demonstrate the state's commitment to public safety," California DMV director Steve Gordon said in a press release on Tuesday. Given the trouble AV companies have had with [bike lanes](), [train crossings](), and [roadside]() [emergencies](), it'll be fascinating to see whether their self-driving cars can rise to the challenge — or else be relegated back to the proving grounds. **More on autonomous vehicles:** *[Self-Driving Taxis Poised for Vicious Backlash]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()