California DMV mandates 30-second response rule for autonomous vehicle companies

14 articles · Updated · WIRED · Apr 29

The new regulations, effective July, require companies like Waymo to respond to first responder calls within 30 seconds and clear vehicles from emergency areas within two minutes.
The rules follow mounting complaints from San Francisco and Austin officials about Waymo vehicles freezing, blocking emergency access, and failing to recognize hand signals, causing delays and safety concerns.
Waymo, now providing 500,000 weekly rides in 10 US cities, faces growing scrutiny and political opposition as it expands, despite claims that its technology reduces serious crashes compared to human-driven cars.

Will California’s new regulations be enough to prevent Waymo vehicles from hindering future emergency responses?

Waymo claims its cars are safer than humans, so why do first responders report their performance is 'backsliding'?

Beyond accident rates, could Waymo's robotaxis actually worsen traffic, pollution, and our reliance on cars?

Amid claims of selective incident reporting, how can the public and regulators trust Waymo’s safety data?

With remote operators making critical errors, how vulnerable is Waymo's system to human or even foreign influence?