Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 7
Waymo Avoids 0 LA Traffic Notices in First Month as California Expands Robotaxi Enforcement
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 7

Waymo Avoids 0 LA Traffic Notices in First Month as California Expands Robotaxi Enforcement

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 7

Summary

  • Los Angeles police issued zero non-compliance notices to Waymo or any other robotaxi company in the first month after California's new AV enforcement rules took effect on July 1.
  • The result stands out because the rules were billed by the DMV as a tougher oversight framework, yet officers have not used their new power despite repeated viral incidents involving Waymo vehicles blocking roads and trapping motorists.
  • Waymo's recent Los Angeles-area episodes included a May case in which a driver was stuck for nearly 50 minutes after two Waymos blocked her at a light, and an April incident where a car entered a drive-thru the wrong way.
  • Across California, Waymo has logged at least 1,356 incidents in five years, with 589 collisions reported last year alone; nearly 8% of its crashes involved possible injuries, even as an IIHS study found fewer crashes than human drivers.

Insights

Why did Los Angeles police fail to issue a single ticket to Waymo robotaxis despite a history of viral traffic-blocking incidents?
If Waymo vehicles are statistically safer than humans, why are emergency responders constantly complaining about them draining public resources?