Police officers stop a driverless car in San Francisco
The San Francisco Police Department recently made an unusual traffic stop when an officer stopped a driverless car.
SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Police Department recently conducted an unusual traffic stop when an officer stopped a driverless car.
The San Francisco Police Department confirmed the incident happened on April 1 on Clement Street in the city. City officials initially stopped the self-driving cruise vehicle because the headlights were not on while driving after 10 p.m.
Richmond County.
Video obtained by KTVU shows an officer walking to the driver’s side window of a Cruise car, only to find that no one was behind the wheel.
After the car comes to a stop and the officer walks back to the patrol car, the cruise vehicle drives ahead through the intersection before pulling to the side again and turning on the hazard lights.
Driverless car pulled over by San Francisco police
A Cruise autonomous vehicle was pulled over by a San Francisco police officer in this video shared by @b.rad916 with KTVU. Cruise said police did not issue a subpoena during the stop.
Cruise said his car rolled forward to find a safer place to stop.
“Our AV [autonomous vehicle] dodged the police vehicle and then stopped as scheduled at the nearest safe spot for traffic control” Cruise tweeted.
FLASHBACK: Man seen in the back seat of a driverless Tesla on Bay Area roads
Spectators can be seen and heard enjoying the scene on Clement Street in the borough of Richmond. The video was posted on Instagram on April 1st.
“There’s nobody in there,” a man is heard saying.
“Oh my God, I have to see that,” says one woman.
The officer initially stopped the vehicle for failing to turn on its headlights while driving after 10 p.m
In an email to KTVU, Cruise confirmed that the vehicle is part of its driverless ridesharing service, which only operates at night between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Fest.
Such stops could anticipate what will happen as more autonomous vehicles hit the streets.
The officer did not issue a ticket, Cruise said.
The San Francisco Police Department has not responded to the KTVU’s requests.
Cruise began offering passengers free rides in their robotic cars earlier this year.