Cruise gets more scrutiny after California robot crawling incident

General Motors Co.’s robotaxi company. will be subject to stricter oversight and pay a fine to settle claims by US auto safety regulators that it failed to properly disclose information about a crash involving one of its cars that hit and dragged a pedestrian last fall.

GM’s Cruise LLC unit must pay a $1.5 million civil penalty, submit periodic reports on its self-driving car operations and meet quarterly with officials from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to terms of a settlement order announced Monday by the agency.

The enforcement action stems from an October 2023 incident in San Francisco in which a Cruise-axial robot dragged a pedestrian about 20 feet before coming to a complete stop. The safety defect seriously injured the pedestrian and resulted in the suspension of Cruise’s license to operate in California. The incident prompted Cruise to recall the self-driving system. NHTSA has also opened an investigation into the defect.

The agency said Monday that two reports Cruise provided about the incident did not disclose post-crash details as required by the agency, in addition to “several incomplete reports” the company submitted to the regulator.

“It is vitally important for companies developing self-driving systems to prioritize safety and transparency from the start,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said in a statement.

After the San Francisco incident, Cruise later underwent a total company reboot, with founder and CEO Kyle Vogt resigning, nine executives being fired, and a layoff of 25% of staff.

“Our agreement with NHTSA is a step forward in a new chapter for Cruise, building on our progress under new leadership, improved processes and culture, and a firm commitment to greater transparency with our regulators,” said Steve Kenner, Cruise’s Chief Safety Officer. statement.

Cruise recently resumed development work on public roads in California and tested its cars with safety drivers in Texas and Arizona after grounding its fleet following last year’s pedestrian incident.

Top photo: A cruise vehicle in San Francisco, California, U.S., Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. Cruise LLC, the self-driving car startup that is majority owned by General Motors Co., said it is offering free rides to non -employees. in San Francisco for the first time, a move that triggers another $1.35 billion from investor SoftBank Vision Fund.

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