The announcement comes a week after Cruise recalled 950 of its robotaxi vehicles amid scrutiny of the driverless cars operating in major cities. Last month, a pedestrian in San Francisco was hit by a human-driven vehicle and then dragged by a Cruise car, resulting in serious injuries. In response, Cruise plans to issue a software update to improve the Collision Detection Subsystem. The company's operating permit was revoked by California after the incident, and it is also under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Key takeaways:
- General Motors’ self-driving car unit Cruise is halting all operations on public roads, including manually driven cars, in an effort to “rebuild public trust” after a pedestrian was dragged by a self-driving vehicle.
- The company is undergoing a full safety review and has expanded the scope of an analysis by a third-party consulting firm to include a comprehensive review of their safety systems and technology.
- Cruise plans to hire a chief safety officer and retain an outside safety expert as part of its safety measures.
- The halt in operations comes a week after Cruise recalled 950 of its robotaxi vehicles amid scrutiny of the driverless cars, which were operating in major cities including San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, Miami and Houston.