Ticketing Driverless Vehicles

Not in Illinois (yet), but no doubt that you'll see it in your lifetimes:

• Currently, driverless cars are operated in many cities across the US, with San Francisco, Austin, and Phoenix at the forefront of autonomous driving tech. Although robotaxis have been usually safe, with accident statistics showing that they're better than humans, they are still far from perfect. In some cases, they have been seen performing illegal or dangerous maneuvers that shocked fellow drivers.

  When such incidents had become widespread, police officers had to confront a bizarre situation. Even if they caught the robotaxis while misbehaving, they found no one to fine in the driver's seat. In a 2022 SFPD directive, officers were instructed that autonomous driving vehicles weren't exempt from traffic violations. However, the same directive underlined that "no citation for a moving violation can be issued if the AV is being operated in driverless mode."

  It appears the practice is still in effect, although new legislation has been passed to allow police officers to fine robotaxi companies instead. The bill also requires autonomous driving companies to set up an emergency phone line for first responders. However, the bill signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024 will not take effect until July 2026.

Personally, we can't wait for some of this:

• World's First Double Flying Car Crash 

A rehearsal before an airshow in China resulted in some injuries and a spectacular battery fire. 

Imagine a flying car car-jacking downtown resulting in a helicopter chase to the west side. The lawyers are going to have a field day.