Autonomous car startup Cruise is facing issues in California because the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has suspended its deployment and driverless permits with immediate effect. This dramatic decision comes just a couple of months after General Motors-owned Cruise got the green light to operate its robotaxi services around the clock. However, it follows several troubling incidents involving its self-driving cars in San Francisco, where the company has been testing on public roads for years.
The suspension order from the DMV, reviewed by TechCrunch, listed several reasons for the move. One major factor was an incident earlier this month where a female pedestrian ended up trapped beneath a Cruise car after being struck by another vehicle. The woman is still recovering. The DMV accused Cruise of withholding video footage from a live investigation of this incident, stating that Cruise didn’t show all the maneuvers made by the car immediately afterward. The DMV only learned there was more footage after speaking with another government agency. Cruise, however, claims it provided the DMV with the “full video.”
According to the DMV, Cruise’s failure to fully disclose the video prevents an effective evaluation of its ability to safely operate its vehicles, posing a risk to public safety. The DMV emphasized that public safety is their top priority, and their autonomous vehicle regulations aim to ensure safe testing and deployment on California roads. If there is an unreasonable risk to public safety, the DMV can suspend or revoke permits immediately.
Cruise now needs to take specific actions to get its permit reinstated. The current suspension affects fully driverless cars but not those with a safety driver aboard. Nevertheless, Cruise has decided to pause operations for all of its driverless cars in San Francisco. In a statement, Cruise emphasized that their goal is to develop and deploy autonomous vehicles to save lives. They recounted that in the incident under review, a human hit-and-run driver struck and pushed the pedestrian into the path of their autonomous vehicle. The vehicle braked aggressively and tried to pull over to avoid further issues, which unfortunately pulled the pedestrian forward before coming to a final stop. Cruise expressed their ongoing concern for the victim and hopes for her rapid and complete recovery.
Cruise clarified that their team proactively shared information, including the full video, with the California DMV and other relevant bodies. This isn’t the first time Cruise’s autonomous cars have made headlines in San Francisco. In August, a collision with a fire truck led to Cruise being ordered to halve its fleet in the city. In the same month, another Cruise car got stuck in wet concrete.