NHTSA demands self-driving car firms stop blocking first responders

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison issued a directive Wednesday to autonomous vehicle (AV) developers, stating that it is unacceptable for their vehicles to interfere with law enforcement and other first responders. Morrison said the agency has identified a clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders, describing the failure to detect and respond to such situations as a functional insufficiency. “Emergency scenes are not rare or extreme ‘edge cases,’” Morrison wrote. “As such, NHTSA is today issuing a call to action for AV developers and operators to immediately focus their resources on fixing this issue.” The agency demanded that developers present solutions to the problem by the end of the month.

The letter does not name any specific company, but the details point toward robotaxi operators such as Waymo, which operates vehicles across the United States, including in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. According to TechCrunch, Waymo has had repeated run-ins with first responders: in at least six incidents identified by TechCrunch through March of this year, first responders had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them out of traffic during emergency situations. In one instance, an officer was in the middle of responding to a mass shooting, and in June, an officer was recorded moving a Waymo vehicle to unblock a roadway for crews responding to a natural gas explosion at an apartment building.

NHTSA did not specify what consequences AV companies might face if they ignore the demand, but it drew a comparison to existing law, noting that every second matters when law enforcement officers, firefighters, or paramedics are responding to a call because lives are on the line, and that human drivers who impede such operations are subject to fines and even jail time. NHTSA also said it released a new 2026 Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda last week, outlining proposed updates to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), the US federal rules governing vehicle design and equipment. These proposed changes could help autonomous vehicle developers such as Tesla and Zoox, which are developing vehicles without steering wheels or pedals.

Why it matters

NHTSA is signaling a firmer regulatory stance on autonomous vehicle safety, demanding immediate solutions to first responder interference and warning that AV operators could face accountability measures similar to those imposed on human drivers who obstruct emergency crews.