Regulation and law · Automotive · Safety and security
California brings in fines of up to $10,000 per vehicle for robotaxis that block emergency vehicles
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senator Dave Cortese’s SB 1246 on September 30. If a driverless commercial vehicle obstructs emergency or police operations for more than 30 minutes after an emergency official requests a technician, a court can fine the company up to $10,000 per vehicle. Cities and counties bring the cases and collect the penalties. Companies must immediately dispatch local technicians when asked; breaking that rule carries fines of up to $5,000. Remote drivers must be in the US. The rules take effect in July 2028. Cortese: “We cannot embrace innovation at the expense of public safety.”
Sources
- California Senatosu (Senatör Dave Cortese), “Major Victory for Public Safety as Accountability, Oversight, and Emergency-Response Standards Governing Autonomous Vehicles is Signed into Law”, (sd15.senate.ca.gov)
- California Valiliği, “Governor Newsom issues legislative update 9.30.2026”, (gov.ca.gov)
- California Yasama Meclisi (leginfo), “SB-1246 Autonomous vehicles.”, bill text, (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Gizmodo, “California Cracks Down on Robotaxis That Block First Responders”, (gizmodo.com)
About this story
This story was posted on Instagram by @jarrus.tech on Oct. 6, 2026.
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This story in Turkish: California, acil durum araçlarının yolunu kesen robotaksilere araç başı 10 bin dolara kadar ceza getirdi
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