California Police Pull Over Waymo Driverless Taxi for Illegal U-Turn in First Such Incident

Police in San Bruno, California, pulled over a Waymo driverless taxi after it made an illegal U-turn, marking a rare law enforcement encounter with autonomous vehicle technology. Officers found no human driver to ticket, highlighting a legal gap as current citation systems do not accommodate driverless cars. Waymo acknowledged the incident as a "glitch" and is reviewing it to improve road safety, while California is developing laws to hold companies accountable for autonomous vehicle violations. The new legislation, effective July 2026, will allow police to issue notices of noncompliance to companies and requires them to maintain a hotline for first responders. This incident underscores ongoing regulatory challenges as autonomous vehicles become more common in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and others where Waymo operates. Law enforcement agencies emphasize their commitment to public safety, regardless of whether infractions involve human drivers or driverless cars.