California will fine robotaxi companies if their vehicles block first responders

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1246 into law, introducing penalties for robotaxi companies whose vehicles block first responders, such as ambulances and fire trucks, for more than 30 minutes during emergencies.

What the law requires

Under SB 1246, operators must provide an on-site contact for emergency responders. The role, called a "local incident technician," is meant to help with AV accidents and obstructions immediately. Companies will also be required to use US-based remote human drivers holding US driver's licenses.

In addition, robotaxi companies will have to notify local authorities about the location and status of their vehicles during system-wide failures, and file extra reporting on their response times to incidents.

The incidents behind the rules

Several events over the past year have heightened worries that driverless cars could hinder emergency services. In December 2025, several Waymo vehicles got stuck in the middle of San Francisco roads after a power outage took out the city's traffic lights. During this year's Fourth of July celebrations, Waymo vehicles had to be towed away after they ran out of power and got stranded in heavy San Francisco traffic.

Outside California, a Waymo car in Austin, Texas, blocked an ambulance that was responding to a shooting. In July, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked operators to find a solution after identifying "a clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders."

Remote operators and the timeline

Robotaxis are not remotely driven all the time. Tesla only lets human drivers remotely control a vehicle in difficult situations if "available intervention actions have been exhausted." Waymo said earlier this year that its vehicles could sometimes rely on guidance from remote human operators when stuck, and those operators live in other countries.

The rules won't go into effect until July 1, 2028, giving robotaxi operators time to make sure they can comply.