Driverless cars in California can get out of almost any ticket: Report

California will ticket a driver for violating the rules of the road, but for driverless vehicles, there is reportedly no mechanism to ticket the person responsible because of a loophole in some jurisdictions.

A report from NBC Bay Area found that in California, traffic tickets may only be issued if there is a driver present in the car, meaning that law violations occurring when the car is moving can not be issued to a driverless car.

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“No citation for a moving violation can be issued if the [autonomous vehicle] is being operated in a driverless mode,” an internal memo obtained by NBC News from San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said. “Technology evolves rapidly and, at times, faster than legislation or regulations can adapt to the changes.”

Terry Chea/AP

Driverless cars can be issued tickets for parking violations, but because of the apparent loophole for moving infractions, driverless cars have been able to skirt punishment despite mounting accidents and traffic violations, including not yielding for emergency vehicles.

In San Francisco, where driverless cars have become prevalent thanks to a booming technology industry, there have been several traffic incidents involving driverless vehicles.

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Cruise, a driverless taxi from General Motors, has been taken off the roads after various incidents, including a hit-and-run that left a woman injured and stuck underneath the driverless car. Another incident saw a Cruise car crash into an emergency vehicle it failed to yield to.

Texas and Arizona, states where driverless cars are also on the rise, have rewritten traffic laws so that these vehicles are not immune from moving traffic violations.