Photo credit: San Bruno Police DepartmentCALIFORNIA — A routine DUI enforcement operation took an unexpected turn last week when San Bruno police officers stopped a fully autonomous vehicle that made an illegal U-turn directly in front of them.
“There was no driver, no hands, no clue,” the department joked in a Facebook post describing the encounter. Officers contacted the vehicle’s operator, Waymo, to report the violation since there was no human behind the wheel to cite.
Because California’s Vehicle Code still requires traffic citations to be issued to a person — not a machine — the officers couldn’t issue a ticket.
“Our citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot,’” the department said.
DMV has received 868 autonomous vehicle collision reports
As of September 26, 2025, the DMV has received 868 autonomous vehicle collision reports statewide since 2014.
In California, Waymo operates commercial robotaxi service in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and parts of Silicon Valley, covering hundreds of square miles.
Zoox has begun testing its self-driving vehicles on the streets of San Francisco, while Nuro — focused on autonomous deliveries rather than passenger transport — has deployed vehicles in the South Bay, including Palo Alto and Mountain View.
The incident highlights the growing tension between autonomous vehicle technology and outdated traffic enforcement laws.
While driverless cars are allowed to operate in California with DMV permits, enforcement and liability rules are still catching up.
Under California law AB 1777, responsibility for a self-driving car’s actions rests with the company that owns or operates the vehicle when it’s in autonomous mode. However, existing traffic citation procedures were designed for human drivers — not artificial intelligence.
Safety comes first
San Bruno Police said they hope the company addresses the “glitch” to prevent future violations.
“Whether it’s drivers, passengers, or even driverless cars, we’ll continue to do our part to keep San Bruno’s streets safe,” the department said.
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