California police officers patrolling for drunk drivers wound up pulling over a driverless Waymo taxi that made an illegal U-turn, according to authorities.
The autonomous vehicle committed the traffic infraction in front of police at a light during a grant-funded DUI enforcement operation on Friday evening, the San Bruno Police Department said in a social media post.
Officers then pulled over the vehicle — only to find no driver behind the wheel.
“That’s right… No driver, no hands, no clue,” the department wrote.
The department then contacted Waymo, an all-electric robo-taxi company, to inform them of the “glitch,” cops said.
“Since there was no human driver, a ticket couldn’t be issued (our citation books don’t have a box for “robot”), police wrote in the post.
“Hopefully, the reprogramming will keep it from making any more illegal moves.”
Police said there is currently legislation in the works to allow cops to issue the company notices when its vehicles are driving recklessly.
“Whether it’s drivers, passengers, or even driverless cars, we’ll continue to do our part to keep San Bruno’s streets safe,” the department said.
Waymo operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, and is planning to launch its autonomous drivers in Miami later this year and Washington, DC in 2026.
“Waymo’s autonomous driving system, the Waymo Driver, is designed to respect the rules of the road. We are looking into this situation and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience,” Waymo said in a statement to the Post.
The first driverless Waymo robotaxis also hit the streets of New York City in August as part of a test program with humans still in the driver’s seat.
Former Big Apple Mayor Bill de Blasio and other New Yorkers have blasted the futuristic tech, calling it a disaster waiting to happen.
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