The feds are demanding that self-driving car companies stop interfering with first responders

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison issued guidance Wednesday to developers of autonomous vehicles (AV), stating that it is unacceptable for their vehicles to interfere with first responders or law enforcement.

Morrison noted in letter The agency “identified a clear pattern of autonomous vehicles interfering with law enforcement and other first responders,” citing instances in which such vehicles drove to active emergency sites, blocked the paths of ambulances and firefighters, or failed to recognize and respond to basic safety conditions such as flashing lights, flares, smoke, fires, and traffic cones.

The agency asked AV developers to submit their “solutions” to this problem by the end of the month.

“Let me be clear: the inability to detect and respond appropriately to such situations constitutes a functional deficiency,” Morrison’s letter said. “Emergency scenes are not rare or extreme cases.” As such, NHTSA today issues a call to action for AV developers and operators to immediately focus their resources on fixing this issue.

The agency does not explicitly refer to any specific company in the letter; However, details indicate that it is directed at robotaxi operators like Waymo.

TechCrunch has reached out to Waymo for comment and will update the article once the company responds.

precedent Investigation by TechCrunch It found that Waymo — which operates the largest robotaxi fleet in the United States, with vehicles in cities including Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco — has had frequent encounters with first responders. In at least six incidents identified by TechCrunch during March of this year, first responders had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them out of traffic during emergencies. In one case, an officer was in the middle of responding to a mass shooting. In June, an officer was recorded transporting a Waymo vehicle to… Open the way First responders went to a natural gas explosion at an apartment building.

The agency’s letter to AV developers does not explain what the consequences will be for ignoring the request. It also does not specify acceptable solutions. But the agency implies it will hold companies accountable, just as it does human drivers who obstruct law enforcement.

“Every second matters when law enforcement officers, firefighters or paramedics respond to a call because lives are at stake,” the letter read. “This is why human drivers who obstruct these operations are subject to fines and even imprisonment.”

The agency also noted in a press release accompanying the letter that it is making progress in updating requirements for the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which govern vehicle design and equipment requirements. These proposed changes could help self-driving car companies like Tesla and Zoox, which are developing vehicles without steering wheels, pedals or other features required in human-driven cars. The agency has already proposed rules that would eliminate the need for windshield wipers, sun visors, defogging systems and tire placards. The agency issued a new one Organizational plan and unified agenda for 2026 Last week, to clarify its proposals.