8 months ago
68 A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen extracurricular the company's office successful San Francisco.
Heather Somerville | Reuters
California's autos regulator said connected Friday it is investigating "recent concerning incidents" involving autonomous vehicles operated by General Motors portion Cruise successful San Francisco and asked the institution to instrumentality fractional its robotaxis disconnected the roads.
The connection from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) came aft a Cruise robotaxi was progressive successful a clang with an exigency conveyance successful San Francisco precocious connected Thursday, the latest mishap involving self-driving cars.
The regulator besides said it has asked Cruise to instantly trim its progressive fleet of vehicles by 50% until the probe is implicit and Cruise takes actions to amended roadworthy safety. Cruise has agreed to a 50% reduction, it added.
"The DMV reserves the right, pursuing probe of the facts, to suspend oregon revoke investigating and/or deployment permits" if it is determined to beryllium an unreasonable hazard to nationalist safety, the regulator said successful a statement.
Cruise said 1 of its cars "entered the intersection connected a greenish airy and was struck by an exigency conveyance that appeared to beryllium en way to an exigency scene" aft 10 p.m. connected Thursday (0500 GMT Friday).
The car "did place the hazard of a collision and initiated a braking maneuver, reducing its speed, but was yet incapable to debar the collision," the company, which is investigating the incident, said successful a connection connected Friday.
Initial probe shows the collision occurred erstwhile a occurrence motortruck was operating successful an exigency with its forward-facing reddish lights and siren on, the San Francisco Police Department said successful a connection to Reuters.
The constabulary said the sole rider successful the autonomous conveyance (AV) was transported to a section infirmary with non-life-threatening injuries.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) past week voted to let robotaxis from Cruise and Alphabet's Waymo to run astatine each hours of the time passim San Francisco and complaint passengers for rides contempt beardown absorption from residents and metropolis agencies.
The 2 person been moving robotaxi tests constricted by times and geographic areas wrong San Francisco.
City Attorney David Chiu asked the CPUC connected Thursday to halt its determination portion the metropolis files for a re-hearing. "We person seen that this exertion is not yet ready, and mediocre AV show has interfered with the life-saving operations of archetypal responders. San Francisco volition endure superior harms from this unfettered expansion," helium said successful a statement.
