SoylentNews

Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/10/california-suspends-cruises-robotaxis-after-pedestrian-was-critically-injured/ [arstechnica.com]

Less than three months after the California Public Utilities Commission approved robotaxi-service Cruise's plan to provide around-the-clock driverless rides [arstechnica.com] to passengers in San Francisco, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has shut down Cruise's driverless operations in the state.

Yesterday, the California DMV suspended Cruise's permits for autonomous vehicle deployment and driverless testing "effective immediately" over pedestrian safety concerns.
[...]
The suspension followed two notable accidents involving Cruise's robotaxis. In August, one person was injured after a Cruise vehicle crashed into a fire truck, CNBC reported [cnbc.com]. And earlier this month, a pedestrian using a crosswalk was found in critical condition after a driver of another vehicle struck the pedestrian and threw her into the path of an oncoming Cruise robotaxi.

This hit-and-run incident is still being investigated. According to Cruise [getcruise.com], its autonomous vehicle (AV) detected the collision and stopped on top of the pedestrian, then veered off the road, dragging the pedestrian about 20 feet. When the AV finally stopped, it appeared to pin the pedestrian's leg beneath a tire while videos showed the pedestrian was screaming for help.

A few weeks after the October incident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a probe into Cruise, examining whether Cruise had taken enough precautions to keep pedestrians safe, Reuters reported [reuters.com].

Original Submission