California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1246 into law, setting new requirements for autonomous-vehicle companies when robotaxis interfere with emergency responders, first reported by TechCrunch. The law aims to improve safety and response times when vehicles are disabled or interfere with emergency crews, and creates ways to hold companies accountable.
Robotaxis have impeded traffic, driven into crime scenes and interfered with first responders. In some cases, companies have relied on first responders to move their robotaxis.
The disruptions are occurring in the early stages of the robotaxi era. The law is intended to get ahead of the problem before the next wave of robotaxis arrives.
Autonomous-vehicle technology companies such as Tesla, Waymo and Zoox must provide first responders with local, on-the-ground support when robotaxis cause problems. They could face penalties if a robotaxi blocks police or firefighters for more than 30 minutes.
The law also limits remote drivers to people based in the United States who hold U.S. driver’s licenses. During system-wide failures, developers must notify cities, towns and other local jurisdictions about vehicles’ location and status.
Developers must provide local incident technicians to assist with AV accidents and obstructions. The rules pair local incident response with restrictions on remote-driver eligibility and required notices during system-wide failures.
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles, the state’s main autonomous-vehicle regulator, will handle remaining details. The law takes effect in July 2028.
Whether other states follow California’s lead or wait for the federal government to weigh in remains an open question.