SF demands federal Waymo crackdown after July 4 traffic meltdown | Latest Tech News
San Francisco metropolis leaders are throwing their weight behind new federal laws to crack down on rogue self-driving automobiles, after a quantity of Waymos clogged town’s streets and left hundreds to march home on foot during a disastrous July Fourth celebration.
The proposed law by Congressman Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) would direct federal regulators to set up minimal national security requirements for autonomous autos. Specifically, the new guidelines would make sure the autos is not going to impede emergency operations.
Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-Calif. ZUMAPRESS.com
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie Getty Images
“This legislation will give local government and autonomous vehicle companies a clearer framework for coordinating during an emergencies and unexpected disruptions,” Lurie said at a Tuesday press convention.
“It would also ensure that AV’s respond appropriately when streets close, traffic patterns change, signals fail or when first responders need immediate access.”
Under the invoice, autonomous vehicle firms could be required to present standardized emergency response protocols. It also would require a 24-hour hotline that provides public officers direct access to AV firms.
There might also be a course of permitting public officers to “geofence” AVs, or in other phrases, inserting limits on where self-driving autos can operate during emergencies.
line of Waymo robotaxis drives through North Beach on July 07, 2026 in San Francisco, California. Getty Images
(*4*) Mullin said.
The self-driving car company, Waymo, appears to be in help of the federal laws.
“Establishing minimum guidelines would provide the entire industry and public safety community with a consistent framework,” a spokesperson said in a assertion to ABC7.
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The new technology has drawn intense consideration for sometimes troublesome interactions with local emergency responders. San Francisco, a hub for self-driving technology, has been a hotspot of circumstances in which autos drive through crime scenes or obstructed fire crews and paramedics.
Mayor Daniel Lurie has been a booster for Waymos in town, asserting plans last yr to open Market Street — where personal autos are in any other case banned — to its robotaxis.
Video confirmed a Waymo driving through fireworks in San Francisco.
On the Fourth of July, quite a few Waymo autos sat idle on San Francisco streets during heavy traffic and severely exacerbated congestion associated to a fireworks show close to the Golden Gate Bridge.
One experience turned terrifying after a Waymo vehicle appeared to drive immediately through an exploding firework while its passengers watched in horror.
“In coordination with local authorities and emergency services, our roadside assistance team worked quickly to clear our vehicles from the area,” Waymo had said then on the July Fourth congestion. “Our team is always evaluating ways to strengthen Waymo’s resilience in major traffic disruptions.”
Also last December, Waymos stalled throughout town during a energy outage that took out town’s traffic lights, which the technology depends on to self-drive.
Waymo is owned by Alphabet Inc., Google’s guardian company.
The autonomous driving program started in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, internally identified as Project Chauffeur, before turning into a standalone Alphabet subsidiary in December 2016.
The company has not disclosed how many Waymos it presently deploys in the Bay Area metropolis. Last yr, it said more than 800 autos had been in business operation across the Bay Area.
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