California to begin ticketing driverless cars that violate traffic laws

Who Should Be Fined and How Much

• Many argue fines should scale to income or company revenue, with floors and escalating penalties for repeat offenses.
• Others say AV tickets should be identical to human tickets; proportional corporate fines risk becoming a manageable “cost of doing business.”
• Some propose normalizing penalties by miles driven or fleet size to avoid punishing more efficient operators.

Liability and Criminal Responsibility

• Strong debate over whether the manufacturer, fleet operator, or vehicle owner should get the ticket.
• For today’s robotaxis (owned/operated by companies), most posters favor holding the operator/company responsible.
• For privately owned AVs, some argue the owner should be fully liable unless a post-sale update introduces defects.
• A minority advocate criminal liability (including jail) for executives in cases of reckless design or known-bug releases.

Comparisons to Human Drivers & Justice System

• Several posts challenge the idea that humans “get the book” for vehicular manslaughter, citing frequent light or no punishment and weak license revocations.
• Others stress deterrence and incapacitation (license loss, prison) as key goals, but note that many fatal crashes, especially involving elderly or impaired drivers, get minimal sanctions.

Effectiveness of Ticketing AVs

• One camp says per-violation tickets are the right incentive: break law → pay; enough violations → permit suspension, fleet restrictions.
• Another camp prefers regulatory thresholds (e.g., violations per mile) and outright bans for persistent noncompliance, arguing tickets are too human-centric and let unsafe systems keep running.
• Some suggest AVs should face stricter standards than humans; others think laws should be relaxed for AVs with strong safety records.

Safety, Edge Cases, and Road Design

• People report AVs speeding slightly, rolling stop signs, blocking lanes, and using bike lanes, often mirroring common but technically illegal human behavior.
• Debate over whether AVs should follow the “flow of traffic” social norms (e.g., at four‑way stops) or the strict letter of the law.
• Concerns about AVs blocking emergency vehicles and calls for remote “commandeer” capabilities.

Broader Policy and Motives

• Some see this as necessary accountability; others suspect revenue-seeking by cities and states.
• Wider suggestions include income-based fines for all drivers, tougher DUI and safety laws, and investment in public transit as a more direct way to reduce road deaths.