GM’s Robotaxi Unit Cruise Agrees To Pay $500,000 Fine For Submitting False Crash Report

Topline
General Motors-owned robotaxi and self-driving car company, Cruise, agreed to pay a $500,000 fine and admitted to submitting a false report after an accident involving one of its vehicles in San Francisco last year—where a pedestrian was injured after being struck and dragged approximately 20 feet by a robotaxi.
A robot taxi operated by General Motors subsidiary Cruise was involved in an accident last year in … [+] which a pedestrian sustained injuries after being dragged for nearly 20 feet. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Key Facts
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of California said Cruise was facing a criminal charge for providing a false report on the crash to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) “with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation.” The autonomous vehicle company will pay the $500,000 fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement under which “Cruise admits and accepts responsibility for the charge.” Besides the fine, Cruise has agreed to cooperate with government investigations, implement a safety compliance program and provide annual reports to the U.S. Attorney’s Office—for a three-year term. If the company fails to fulfill all its obligations under the agreement, the “U.S. Attorney’s Office can proceed with prosecution of the charged offense.” Cruise told Reuters it will comply with the agreement’s requirements and “continue to move forward under new leadership and with a firm commitment to transparency with our regulators.”
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Crucial Quote
“Federal laws and regulations are in place to protect public safety on our roads. Companies with self-driving cars that seek to share our roads and crosswalks must be fully truthful in their reports to their regulators,” said Martha Boersch, the criminal division chief at the Northern District of California’s U.S. attorney’s office.