California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1246 into law, creating new rules for robotaxi operators in the state. The measure establishes local penalties for companies whose vehicles block first responders, including ambulances and fire trucks, for more than 30 minutes during emergencies. The law is aimed at addressing growing concerns that driverless cars could delay emergency services.

Under the legislation, operators must provide an on-site contact for emergency responders, called a local incident technician, who can assist with accidents and obstructions immediately. Companies will also be required to use US-based remote human drivers who hold US driver's licenses. The law further requires robotaxi companies to notify local authorities about the location and status of their vehicles during system-wide failures, and to issue additional reporting on their response times to incidents involving their vehicles.

The rules follow a series of events that heightened worries about driverless cars interfering with emergency response. In December 2025, several Waymo vehicles became stuck in the middle of San Francisco roads after a power outage knocked out the city's traffic lights. During this year's Fourth of July celebrations, Waymo vehicles had to be towed away after running out of power and becoming stranded in heavy San Francisco traffic.

Concerns have also arisen outside California. In Austin, Texas, a Waymo car blocked an ambulance responding to a shooting. In July, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked operators to find a solution after identifying what it described as a clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders.

Remote human guidance has been a subject of scrutiny as well. Waymo revealed earlier this year that its vehicles could sometimes rely on guidance from remote human operators when they get stuck, and that those operators live in other countries. In Tesla's case, remote control of a vehicle is only permitted in difficult situations if available intervention actions have been exhausted.

Robotaxi operators will have time to prepare for compliance, since the law does not go into effect until July 1, 2028.

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