Traffic Chaos in San Francisco as Driverless Cars Stall and Refuse to Drive

Driverless cars operated by Cruise caused a traffic jam in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, blocking intersections for about 15 minutes. The incident occurred shortly after California regulators approved robotaxi companies to operate their driverless cars 24/7 in the city. Cruise attributed the issue to wireless bandwidth constraints caused by a nearby music festival and stated that they are actively investigating and working on solutions. Local officials expressed concerns about the potential impact on emergency responders, with the San Francisco Fire Department reporting 55 incidents of driverless vehicles interfering with their emergency responses in 2023.