Overview
- Rep. Kevin Mullin unveiled the AV Emergency Response Coordination Act in San Francisco on July 28 to require operators to give clear emergency protocols, run a 24-hour hotline for public officials, allow geofencing of vehicles, and direct NHTSA to set minimum national standards.
- NHTSA has told developers it found a pattern of driverless vehicles interfering with law enforcement and other first responders and set a deadline for companies to present solutions that has since passed, raising the prospect of federal rulemaking or enforcement.
- San Francisco officials say Waymo robotaxis worsened major disruptions in the city, including a July 4 gridlock when many vehicles ran out of battery and a December power outage that left dozens stranded, and that robotaxis have blocked fire stations and ambulance routes.
- Waymo said it supports a federal framework to standardize how operators engage with first responders, while reporting from TechCrunch found instances where first responders had to manually move or drive stalled robotaxis.
- If adopted, the bill would give local public-safety officials a real-time tool to limit AV operations during crises and could force changes to how and where robotaxis are allowed to operate in dense urban areas, affecting riders, city traffic and emergency access.