The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ordered autonomous vehicle developers to stop their vehicles interfering with first responders and law enforcement, warning that such failures are unacceptable. In a letter issued on Wednesday, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency had identified a clear pattern of driverless vehicles entering active emergency scenes, blocking ambulances and fire engines, and failing to react to obvious hazards such as flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire and traffic cones. The move signals growing federal scrutiny of the robotaxi industry as driverless fleets expand across US cities.

Morrison described the inability to respond to emergency scenes as a "functional insufficiency" rather than a rare edge case, and demanded that developers submit their proposed solutions by the end of the month. The letter names no company, but its focus points to operators such as Waymo, which runs the largest US robotaxi fleet. A previous TechCrunch investigation found at least six incidents through March in which responders had to manually move Waymo vehicles, including during a mass shooting and a gas explosion. The letter does not specify consequences or acceptable fixes, though NHTSA noted human drivers who impede responders face fines or jail. Separately, the agency said it is progressing on updating vehicle design standards that could benefit firms like Tesla and Zoox building cars without steering wheels or pedals.