California has enacted Senate Bill 1246, a new law targeting autonomous vehicle (AV) operators, including major robotaxi companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox. The legislation mandates these companies to provide local assistance immediately when their vehicles malfunction or interfere with emergency response activities. Crucially, robotaxi operators could face fines if their vehicles obstruct police or firefighters for more than 30 minutes during emergencies. This law aims to enhance public safety by holding AV companies accountable for incidents where their vehicles disrupt first responders or block traffic.

This legislation emerges in response to a series of high-profile cases in California where robotaxis, especially those operated by Waymo, broke down in traffic, drove into active crime scenes, or hindered emergency personnel. Waymo, the largest robotaxi operator in the U.S. with a fleet of approximately 4,000 autonomous vehicles nationwide—including 1,200 in the San Francisco Bay Area—has been at the center of many such incidents. Prior investigations revealed that Waymo has sometimes depended on first responders to manually operate botched robotaxis, which heightened calls from lawmakers and federal regulators for stricter rules governing how these vehicles interact with emergency situations.

The new law restricts AV companies to use only U.S.-based remote drivers who hold valid U.S. driver's licenses for direct vehicle operation when remote intervention is necessary. This provision responds to uncertainties around the extent and nature of remote operations currently employed by companies. Notably, Tesla is the only company that has openly acknowledged having remote operators capable of directly controlling vehicles, whereas companies like Waymo use more indirect remote assistance. Beyond personnel regulations, the law also requires AV developers to notify local authorities about system failures impacting vehicle locations and to deploy “local incident technicians” to rapidly handle accidents or vehicle obstructions.

Effective July 2028, the California Department of Motor Vehicles will establish further guidelines to implement these requirements, including response time standards. Leading AV stakeholders such as Waymo and Zoox have committed to compliance with the new rules. State Senator Dave Cortese, who sponsored the bill, emphasized that while California supports innovation in autonomous technology, public safety must not be compromised, and clear accountability mechanisms are necessary when robotaxis impede emergency response efforts or cause road blockages.