Topline
General Motors’ self-driving car unit Cruise announced it is halting all operations on public roads, including manually driven cars—expanding on an October pause of all driverless operations that was instituted after a pedestrian was dragged by a self-driving vehicle.
The GM-owned robotaxi company Cruise paused driverless operations last month in a bid to “rebuild … [+] public trust” after a pedestrian was dragged by a self-driving vehicle. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Getty Images
Key Facts
In a blog post Tuesday, Cruise announced it was “pausing our supervised and manual AV operations in the U.S.,” a move that will affect about 70 vehicles. The move is in an effort to “rebuild public trust” as the company undergoes a full safety review, according to the blog post. The company also announced it is expanding the scope of an analysis by Exponent—a third-party consulting firm that was hired to probe the cause of an October incident in which a San Francisco woman was dragged by a self-driving Cruise vehicle—to include “a comprehensive review of our safety systems and technology.” The company says it will hire a chief safety officer and retain an outside safety expert.
Key Background
The news comes just one week after Cruise announced it was recalling 950 of its robotaxi vehicles amid scrutiny of the driverless cars, which were operating in major cities including San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, Miami and Houston. Forbes reported last month a San Francisco pedestrian was pushed in front of a Cruise car after getting hit by a human-driven vehicle and was “dragged … underneath the car for approximately 20 feet,” leading to major injuries. Cruise initially said the car attempted to brake and avoid hitting the pedestrian, who was first struck by a non-autonomous car. Cruise will issue a software update to recalled vehicles to improve the “Collision Detection Subsystem,” which allows robotaxis to detect crashes and pull over after a collision. California revoked Cruise’s operating permit shortly after the October accident, saying its vehicles are “not safe for the public’s operation” and pose “an unreasonable risk to the public.” Shortly after that, the nationwide pause of driverless operations was announced, and an announcement of layoffs at the company followed. Cruise is also being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over reports of Cruise cars “encroaching on pedestrians present in or entering roadways, including pedestrian crosswalks, in the proximity of the intended travel path of the vehicles.”
Further Reading
MORE FROM FORBES Cruise Robotaxi Dragged Woman 20 Feet In Recent Accident, Local Politician Says
MORE FROM FORBES Regulators Launch New Investigation Into Cruise Self-Driving Cars After Pedestrians Hit By Robotaxis
MORE FROM FORBES Under Fire Over Robotaxi Safety, GM Halts Production Of Cruise Driverless Van
Robotaxi Company Cruise Pulling All Vehicles From Public Roads Amid Safety Investigation
- Advertisment - 