In the first month since California granted police the authority to cite autonomous vehicle companies for traffic violations, Waymo robotaxis have not received a single enforcement notice in Los Angeles. This comes despite a series of publicly documented incidents involving Waymo vehicles blocking roads, impeding traffic, and appearing to violate traffic laws.
The regulations, which took effect on July 1, empower law enforcement to issue non-compliance notices to autonomous vehicle manufacturers for traffic offenses. The California Department of Motor Vehicles had promoted this framework as the nation's strongest, intended to enhance oversight and ensure accountability and public safety within the growing autonomous vehicle industry.
Despite the new powers, the Los Angeles Police Department did not issue any citations to Waymo or other robotaxi companies in the initial four weeks under the new rules. This lack of enforcement action is occurring even as viral videos and public reports highlight instances of Waymo vehicles causing disruptions.
In May, one incident involved two Waymos reportedly cutting off a woman's vehicle and refusing to move, trapping her for nearly 50 minutes until one of the vehicles reversed to allow her to exit. Another widely shared video from April showed a Waymo entering a restaurant drive-thru the wrong way before picking up a passenger.
Incidents have also been reported outside of Los Angeles. In San Diego, a Waymo vehicle was observed stopping for an extended period in a busy intersection, obstructing both bike and driving lanes. The user who filmed the event described the autonomous vehicle as "fully confused."
The absence of enforcement against autonomous vehicles has drawn frustration from traditional rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, which faced significant fines and scrutiny during their initial years of operation. Human rideshare drivers have also accumulated thousands of traffic citations for various violations.
While a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicated that Waymo vehicles were involved in fewer crashes than human drivers, data from the California DMV Autonomous Vehicle Crash Dashboard shows at least 1,356 incidents involving Waymo on California roads over the past five years. Approximately 8% of these crashes have resulted in possible injuries to pedestrians, passengers, or occupants of other vehicles.
Last year saw the highest number of reported incidents, with 589 collisions, potentially linked to an increase in Waymo vehicles operating in the state. San Francisco recorded the most incidents with 848 over five years, followed by Los Angeles with 344.
Waymo began commercial operations in San Francisco in August 2023 and has since expanded to local roads in Los Angeles. The company has also resumed freeway driving trials after a previous pause caused by issues with vehicles failing to recognize highway construction zones.
User experiences shared on social media have been mixed. While some passengers have lauded the convenience and perceived safety of Waymo services, others have reported issues such as vehicles driving off with their belongings or dropping passengers in inconvenient locations. The company has been contacted for comment regarding these incidents and the lack of citations.