Can police ticket a robot? Waymo’s U-turn causes confusion as self-driving car gets off the hook without a fine

Police in San Bruno, California, were left scratching their heads after pulling over a car that had just made an illegal U-turn, only to find there was no one behind the wheel. The vehicle was a Waymo taxi, one of Alphabet’s self-driving cars that operate around the Bay Area.

Waymo cars breaking the rules

Officers, conducting a DUI checkpoint in the early hours of Saturday morning, stopped the autonomous vehicle after it turned illegally in front of them. But when they approached the car, they were met not by a nervous driver, but by an empty seat and a glowing dashboard.

“No driver, no hands, no clue,” the San Bruno Police Department wrote in a now-viral Facebook post, adding that there was simply no legal way to issue a moving violation citation to a robot.

Who’s responsible when the car drives itself?

According to Sgt. Scott Smithmatungol, officers could only contact Waymo to report what they called a “glitch.” He said current California law allows citations only for human drivers. A new rule set to take effect next year will let police report such incidents to the DMV, which is still determining what penalties – if any – might apply to self-driving vehicles.

Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina told the Los Angeles Times the company is “looking into the situation” and remains “committed to improving road safety.”

The incident has reignited debate about accountability in an age when cars drive themselves.

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