Self-driving cars to face fines for breaking road rules in fresh crackdown on autonomous vehicles

Autonomous vehicles will be at risk of fines, even if there isn't a driver inside, with new rules being introduced to keep roads safe.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced a raft of new autonomous vehicle (AV) regulations, describing them as the "most comprehensive AV regulations in the nation".

The rules come alongside the green light for autonomous vehicle manufacturers to apply for permits to test and deploy heavy-duty vehicle technology.

Autonomous vehicle companies will need to respond to emergency calls within 30 seconds, and allow local officials to issue "electronic geofencing directives" to clear the vehicles from active emergency zones.

Companies are also at the mercy of receiving penalties, with law enforcement able to issue a Notice of AV Noncompliance to manufacturers when the vehicles commit a moving violation.

The rules, which are set to launch on July 1, aim to modernise self-driving services, which have come under scrutiny for seemingly operating in a legal grey area.

Steve Gordon, DMV Director, said: "California continues to lead the nation in the development and adoption of AV technology, and these updated regulations further demonstrate the state’s commitment to public safety.

"These updates support the growth of the AV industry by enhancing public safety and transparency while adding additional accountability for AV manufacturers."

New rules for heavy-duty vehicles will require manufacturers to begin testing using a safety driver before they can apply for commercial deployment.

This will include 50,000 miles of testing for light-duty vehicles and 500,000 miles for heavy-duty vehicles and present a structured safety case before approval.

Companies will also need to ensure any vehicles leave an emergency area within two minutes of receiving a notification from emergency services.

The DMV states that they will need to establish standards for remote operations personnel, including licensing qualifications and training.

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It added: "These rules, the most comprehensive AV regulations in the nation, are the result of an extensive public comment and review process.

"Certain provisions are in immediate effect, while others will be phased in over the coming months, pursuant to effective dates."

Concerns have been raised about self-driving vehicles after notable incidents in California in recent months.

One case saw a car park full of Waymo's autonomous vehicles honking their horns for hours during the night in downtown San Francisco.

Another case saw police officers stop a driverless Waymo AV after it made an illegal U-turn at a traffic light near San Francisco.

When officers from the San Bruno Police Department pulled the vehicle over, they were unable to issue a ticket since a driver wasn't present, leading to them contacting Waymo about a "glitch".

Waymo, which is owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, has started testing its autonomous vehicles on roads across London ahead of a planned launch later this year.

It will build on more than 100 million fully autonomous miles on public roads in the United States, which has resulted in more than 10 million paid rides.