California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1246 into law, establishing new safety and accountability standards for autonomous-vehicle operators. Local jurisdictions may set penalties when autonomous vehicles block first-responder operations for more than 30 minutes.
The law follows multiple incidents in which driverless vehicles obstructed traffic and emergency personnel. It requires autonomous-vehicle companies to provide an on-site contact, called a local incident technician, to assist first responders with accidents and obstructions. It also requires improved communication protocols during system-wide failures.