Driverless Car Makes Illegal U-Turn in Front of Calif. Police Officers
What to know
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San Bruno police on a DUI enforcement patrol stopped an autonomous Waymo car after it made an illegal U-turn in front of officers.
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Officers found the vehicle had no driver and contacted the company about the malfunction but couldn't issue a citation.
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Police said legislation is being created to allow citations against autonomous vehicle makers in such cases.
Officers on patrol for drunken drivers found a driverless car breaking traffic laws instead, California police reported.
The officers were on a grant-funded DUI enforcement operation when they spotted a vehicle making an illegal U-turn at a light “right in front of them,” San Bruno police said in a Saturday, Sept. 27, news release.
The officers saw nobody behind the wheel — it was an autonomous driverless Waymo, police said.
“That’s right… no driver, no hands, no clue,” police said in the release.
Officers stopped the vehicle and notified the company of the “glitch,” but were unable to issue a citation because there was no driver, police said.
“Our citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot,’” police said in the release, noting it was a first for both officers.
Police said legislation allowing police to cite the makers of driverless vehicles is in the works.
Waymo said in a statement to KTVU that the Waymo Driver, the company’s autonomous driving system, is designed to follow the rules of the road.
“We are looking into this situation and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience,” the statement said.
San Bruno is about a 15-mile drive south from downtown San Francisco.
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