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May 02, 2024

GM's Cruise hits a speed bump in California with autonomous driving program

Michael Vi/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The California Department of Motor Vehicles instructed General Motors' (NYSE:GM) Cruise to reduce its robotaxi fleet by 50% after a crash on Thursday night

Michael Vi/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

The California Department of Motor Vehicles instructed General Motors' (NYSE:GM) Cruise to reduce its robotaxi fleet by 50% after a crash on Thursday night in San Francisco that involved a fire truck being hit at an intersection.

The state agency said it is also investigating other recent incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco. Cruise was asked to reduce its robotaxi fleet by 50% and have no more than 50 driverless vehicles in operation during the day and 150 driverless vehicles in operation at night until the investigation by the regulator is complete. The safety of the traveling public was called a top priority. The state agency has the right to suspend or revoke testing and/or deployment permits if a determination is made that there is an unreasonable risk to public safety. The agency said the primary focus of the regulations is the safe operation of autonomous vehicles and safety of the public who share the road with the vehicles.

In reaction, Cruise posted an update on its website detailing the incident in San Francisco

"The AV positively identified the emergency vehicle almost immediately as it came into view, which is consistent with our underlying safety design and expectation. It is worth noting, however, that the confines of this specific intersection make visual identification more challenging – for humans and AVs alike – as it is significantly occluded by buildings, meaning that it is not possible to see objects around the corner until they are physically very close to the intersection. The AV’s ability to successfully chart the emergency vehicle’s path was complicated by the fact that the emergency vehicle was in the oncoming lane of traffic, which it had moved into to bypass the red light. Cruise AVs have the ability to detect emergency sirens, which increase their ability to operate safely around emergency vehicles and accompanying scenes. In this instance, the AV identified the siren as soon as it was distinguishable from the background noise. The Cruise AV did identify the risk of a collision and initiated a braking maneuver, reducing its speed, but was ultimately unable to avoid the collision."

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