GM’s Cruise loses its self-driving license in San Francisco after a robotaxi drags a person
Cruise says the vehicle then stopped again. Rescue workers soon arrived, accordingly NBC Bay Area television station and the San Francisco Fire Department said The victim was “rescued from under the vehicle using rescue equipment.” The department said she was taken to the hospital with multiple traumatic injuries. The human driver of the vehicle that initially struck the woman could not be caught.
Last week, the U.S.’s top transportation safety agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, opened an investigation into Cruise’s autonomous driving system based on at least four reported incidents in which Cruise vehicles collided with or approached pedestrians and crosswalks. including the Oct. 2 crash
Forghani, the Cruise spokesman, says the company has shared videos and other information related to the incident with California DMV and NHTSA officials. “Our teams are currently conducting an analysis to identify possible improvements [autonomous vehicle]“The reaction of . to such an extremely rare event,” she wrote in a statement.
In August, the California DMV asked Cruise to halve the number of self-driving vehicles operating in the city after its robotaxis were involved in a series of accidents, including one in which a Cruise vehicle collided with a fire truck that was running over a red one Traffic light drove on the way to the emergency.
Even before Cruise and its main competitor, Alphabet’s Waymo, received permission from the state taxi board to offer all-day paid rides in San Francisco, both companies were criticized by city residents, emergency responders and union representatives over incidents in which the technology froze in or hindered city traffic.
In August, the San Francisco Fire Department told state officials that its employees had experienced at least 55 incidents involving self-driving cars since the start of 2023, including a handful in which firefighters reported the cars delayed emergency responders. In one incident, concerned firefighters smashed the windows of a cruise vehicle to prevent it from driving to an active fire scene. Robotaxis has also delayed city buses and trams. cruise said earlier this month that it has improved the way its technology responds to emergency vehicles and situations.
Updated 10/24/2023 8:45 p.m. EDT: This story has been updated with information about the CPUC’s suspension of Cruise’s authorization to carry passengers.
Updated 10/24/2023 6:05 p.m. EDT: This story has been updated with additional details about the DMV’s suspension and appeal process, as well as additional comment from Cruise.
