The California Department of Surface Transportation on Tuesday immediately halted Cruise’s rollout and driverless testing permit, shutting down GM’s self-driving car subsidiary’s robotaxi business in San Francisco, just months after receiving the final permits needed for commercialization. announced that it was finished.
The DMV’s suspension order, viewed by TechCrunch, states that the department suspended Cruz’s permit because he withheld video footage from an ongoing investigation. The DMV said it met with Cruise representatives on October 3, a day after a pedestrian who was initially believed to have been hit by a human-driven car was pinned under Cruise’s robot taxi.
The order read:
“During the meeting, the department was shown video footage of the accident that was captured by the AV’s on-board camera. The video footage submitted to the department ended with the AV’s initial stop after the sudden braking maneuver. The department was not shown any footage of the AV’s subsequent movements for the execution, and Cruz did not disclose that any additional movements of the vehicle occurred after the vehicle’s initial stop. We first learned of the move through discussions with other government agencies. The Department requested Cruz to provide a copy of the video, including additional footage, which the Department received on October 13, 2023. ”
The DMV has not disclosed the name of the partner agency. However, a person with knowledge of the incident told TechCrunch that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shared the information. It’s worth noting that NHTSA has launched its own investigation into the Cruise’s self-driving system following several incidents involving pedestrians in San Francisco, including the Oct. 2 incident.
A portion of the video, which the DMV said it did not initially see, showed the cruise robotaxi come to a complete stop and then attempt a pullover maneuver while a pedestrian was underneath the vehicle. The AV traveled approximately six feet, reached a speed of seven miles per hour, and came to a complete and final stop, according to the order.
The DMV later said in an order that Cruise’s inaction impeded the department’s ability to effectively and timely assess the safe operation of the company’s vehicles, putting public safety at risk.
Cruz told TechCrunch that he shared the entire video with the DMV. The DMV told TechCrunch it stands by that assessment.
“Public safety remains California DMV’s top priority, and the department’s self-driving vehicle regulations provide a framework to facilitate the safe testing and deployment of this technology on California’s public roads,” the DMV said in a statement. Ta. “DMV may immediately suspend or revoke a permit if there is an unreasonable risk to public safety. There is no set time frame for the suspension.”
The DMV, which regulates the testing and deployment of self-driving vehicles in the state, said Cruise would have to go through a number of steps to get its suspended permit reinstated and would not approve it unless the agency meets requirements to its satisfaction. said. The DMV added that this decision does not affect the company’s authorization for safety driver testing.
The California DMV’s decision to suspend the license came after officials determined the vehicle was unsafe for public operation and Cruise misrepresented information related to self-driving technology installed in the vehicle. said that it was done. The department also said Cruise’s self-driving car tests on public roads posed an unreasonable risk to the public.
Cruise said it learned of the California DMV’s suspension of driverless permits at 10:30 a.m. today, 15 minutes after the California DMV issued a press release. Cruise spokeswoman Hannah Lindow emailed the following statement, which was also posted on the cruise ship. Social media site:
“As a result, we will be suspending the operation of unmanned self-driving vehicles in San Francisco. Ultimately, we will develop and deploy self-driving vehicles to save lives. DMV will investigate. In this incident, a human hit-and-run driver tragically struck a pedestrian and threw him into the path of an AV. The AV actively braked before the collision and detected the collision, creating an additional safety issue. The AV tried to pull over, but before coming to a final stop it continued to stop and pulled the pedestrian forward. Our thoughts continue to be with the victim. I wish you a speedy and full recovery.
Immediately following the incident, our team proactively shared information, including the entire video, with the California DMV, CPUC, and NHTSA. We have been working closely with regulators to answer their questions and assist law enforcement in identifying the hit-and-run driver’s vehicle. Our team is currently conducting analyzes to identify potential enhancements to the AV’s response to this type of very rare event. ”
The suspension comes less than three months after Cruise and competitor Waymo received the final permits needed to offer commercial robotaxi service 24/7 throughout San Francisco. The permit was issued by the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates commercial driverless ride permits. But without a DMV permit to allow driverless vehicles on public roads, a CPUC permit is essentially worthless.
The CPUC faced opposition from residents and some city officials who cited numerous instances of vehicles breaking down and stopping in the middle of the road (known as “bricking”), disrupting the flow of traffic, public transportation, and emergency response agencies. Nevertheless, the final permit was approved.
However, that victory did not last long. Within days of receiving the CPUC’s permit, a series of incidents occurred, including a collision between a cruise robotaxi and an emergency vehicle that injured passengers. The DMV told Cruise that the number of robotaxis in service must be reduced by 50% while the department investigates the incident. In response, some San Francisco city officials formally asked state regulators to redo an August hearing to expand robotaxi permits to Cruise and Waymo.
Pressure to suspend or revoke Cruise’s permit increased after a woman was struck by a human-driven vehicle and pinned under Cruise’s robotaxi on October 2. A video shot by Cruise and seen by TechCrunch shows the robotaxi being hit by a human-driven car, launching in front of the self-driving car, then braking and running over a pedestrian who was lying on the road. It was reflected.Cruz said in it description of the event The robotaxi “braked aggressively” to minimize the impact. Still, the pedestrian was hit and then pinned under the vehicle, according to police and video from local witnesses showing the pedestrian pinned under the robotaxi.
TechCrunch saw the shortened video. At the time, it was presented as a complete video.
San Francisco police have launched an investigation into the incident. NHTSA launched its own investigation soon after.
This story is unfolding…
Source: techcrunch.com
