How Police Will Interact with Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicle developer Waymo has released a guide for how police, firefighters, and other first responders should interact with its self-driving vehicles.

The company has established a 24-hour telephone hotline for emergencies. Emergency responders will call the hotline to identify the numerical identifier of the vehicle (displayed on the front and rear windows), license plate, and any location information.

This guidance is based on the company’s fully self-driving Chrysler Pacifica, based on the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It includes information from FCA’s Pacifica Hybrid Emergency Response Guide and is supplemented by information related to Waymo’s self-driving system.

Information in the guide includes how to identify a Waymo self-driving vehicle, where to access vehicle information in and around the vehicle, and how to shut off and tow the vehicle.

According to the guide, the Waymo vehicle uses sensors to identify police or emergency vehicles by detecting their appearance, sirens, and emergency lights.

Waymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., parent organization of Google. The company is currently running a trial of an autonomous ride-hailing business in Phoenix, Arizona, and has announced that the service will be available for public use by the end of 2018.

Read the full presentation here.