Waymo robotaxis avoid first month of new California traffic citations amid mixed safety record

In Los Angeles, Waymo robotaxis received no enforcement notices during the inaugural month of California's new authority to cite autonomous vehicles for traffic violations, despite several widely shared incidents.

California's new autonomous-vehicle enforcement framework, hailed by the DMV as the nation's strongest, allows officers to cite manufacturers for traffic infractions. Records obtained by the California one outlet reveal that during the first month after the rules took effect, the Los Angeles Police Department issued zero non-compliance notices to Waymo LLC or any other robotaxi service. This lack of citations comes amid a series of viral clips showing Waymo cars obstructing traffic, refusing to move at a light and mistakenly driving through a restaurant drive-thru.

Incidents outside Los Angeles have also been reported, including a Waymo Ojai model stopping across bike and vehicle lanes at a busy San Diego intersection. While a recent IIHS study found Waymo crashes to be fewer than those involving human drivers, the DMV's crash dashboard lists over 1,300 Waymo-related incidents in the state over the past five years, with roughly 8% resulting in possible injuries. Rideshare companies Uber and Lyft have expressed frustration over the perceived lax enforcement, recalling past fines for violations of the Public Utilities Code.