Robotaxi bill strengthens emergency responses, empowers cities

By Damon Conklin, legislative advocate (transportation)

A bill that establishes statewide emergency response standards for autonomous vehicle (AV) remote operators and local incident technicians is awaiting action on the Assembly Floor. Supported by Cal Cities, SB 1246 (Cortese) would make it easier for first responders to address AV-related emergencies.

More cities are confronting situations where driverless vehicles stall, obstruct traffic, or interfere with emergency operations. Under existing law, AV companies are not required to provide on-scene assistance when their vehicles are involved in accidents or create obstructions, potentially leaving local emergency personnel responsible for resolving the situation.

SB 1246 would address these challenges by requiring AV companies to notify local jurisdictions during systemwide failures, provide an on-site contact to help with accidents and obstructions, and ensure vehicles can be manually or remotely disabled at the request of first responders.

The bill also establishes penalties when an AV blocks first responders during an emergency for over 30 minutes. These provisions would strengthen local emergency response and accountability while ensuring that taxpayers do not bear the costs of moving AVs that stall or obstruct emergency operations.

During a December 2025 San Francisco power outage, AVs reportedly stalled across the city over 1,500 times, disrupting emergency response and transit operations. Dispatchers faced waits of up to 53 minutes for company assistance. Over 60 stalled vehicles were moved, including twice by first responders.