The US Transportation Authority (NHTSA) is investigating possible dangers to pedestrians associated with General Motors’ self-driving unit, Cruise.
According to reports, cruise vehicles are intended to target pedestrians who are in or on streets. Even if these are located on zebra crossings and close to the intended path of the vehicles. This could increase the risk of collisions with people in traffic. An incident in San Francisco on October 2nd in which a person of was hit by a fleeing driver and then was hit again by a cruise robotaxi is the focus of the investigation.
NHTSA’s preliminary assessment affects about 594 cruise vehicles. It is the first step before the agency could require a recall. Although General Motors Spends nearly $2 billion annually on Cruise, the company sees this as a huge growth opportunity.
In December they had NHTSA has already launched a safety investigation into Cruise’s autonomous driving system after reports of injuries in rear-end collisions. It was noted that cruise vehicles may initiate intense braking maneuvers or the vehicles may become immobilized.
The California Department of Transportation DMV investigated incidents in San Francisco in August in which a cruise robotaxi crashed into one rescue vehicle collided. This led to Cruise being asked to take half of its robotaxis off the roads, a request the company complied with. Cruise was due in February 2022 Permission seeks to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls such as steering wheels. NHTSA has not yet announced a final decision on this petition.