San Francisco Mayor Backs Federal AV Bill After Waymo Racks Up $9,000 in Tickets
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 29
San Francisco Mayor Backs Federal AV Bill After Waymo Racks Up $9,000 in Tickets
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 29
Summary
Daniel Lurie endorsed Rep. Kevin Mullin’s new AV Emergency Response Coordination Act after recent Waymo disruptions in San Francisco revived pressure for national autonomous-vehicle rules.
The bill would direct NHTSA to set minimum emergency-response standards for AV operators and require companies to spell out their own incident protocols.
Waymo has faced fresh scrutiny after its cars struggled in July Fourth gridlock in San Francisco, and the Wall Street Journal reported it has accumulated more than $9,000 in parking tickets in Austin since 2024.
Waymo and other industry voices say they support a federal framework, but the broader AV lobbying fight remains split over how far Washington should preempt state and local rules.
That leaves transportation reauthorization as the likeliest near-term vehicle for AV provisions, with other House and Senate proposals still stalled or failing to gain traction.
If autonomous vehicles are statistically safer than human drivers, why are previously supportive city officials suddenly treating them as major threats?
When a driverless car blocks an active ambulance and the remote hotline fails, who is ultimately held responsible for the delay?
As regulators allow the removal of manual controls, how will first responders physically move rogue robotaxis during major city blackouts?