Recently, autonomous vehicles have been dominating headlines across the country as self-driving technology quickly advances. In California, the legal landscape surrounding these innovative cars is quickly evolving and is no different when it comes to traffic violations.
Under current laws, California’s Driverless Car Enabling Act of 2012 explicitly states that driverless cars do not require a human driver to receive or incur any form of traffic violation. This means that you cannot receive any points on your license or be subject to any fines for driving an autonomous vehicle. In addition, these vehicles are immune from traffic tickets based on vehicle code violations such as speeding or running a red light.
However, California’s legislative body also has regulations that require an autonomous vehicle to abide by traffic laws. This includes yielding to the appropriate right of way at all times, all laws concerning tolls and other highway regulations, and all laws governing the safety and operation of a vehicle such as headlights or driving on the shoulder of the road.
The good news for those who drive driverless cars is that the ticket-free ride should remain in effect for the time being. While many states and countries are beginning to experiment with new laws to accommodate the autonomous revolution, California remains as one of the only places in the world that explicitly offers immunity from traffic violations. This has led to much speculation as to whether the trend will spread in the near future.
Regardless, California’s driverless car law is an incredibly important milestone in the transition to a world where automated vehicles are not only commonplace, but an accepted and safe way of transportation. Allowing self-driving vehicles to remain immune from traffic tickets is just another step in helping to make autonomous vehicles an everyday reality.
