The robotaxi company Cruise has now suspended all its rides on public roads following an accident involving a pedestrian in San Francisco. The company, which belongs to car giant General Motors, now announced that the aim was to regain trust while investigations are still ongoing. Previously, only the operation of cars without people behind the wheel was stopped.
In the accident at the beginning of October, a self-driving Cruise car dragged a woman several meters. The pedestrian was hit by another vehicle with a human behind the wheel and thrown in front of the self-driving car. According to the accident report, the robotaxi immediately braked, but the woman still fell under the vehicle.
Woman dragged six meters
The cruise cars are programmed to automatically pull to the side of the road in some cases after a collision so as not to disrupt traffic. In this case too, the software decided to do this – even though the woman was still under the car. She was dragged about twenty feet and the car reached a speed of more than seven miles per hour, according to a California traffic authority report. Cruise has now adjusted the software for its approximately 950 vehicles so that the situation does not repeat itself. Now it was said that around 70 cars were affected by the suspension of test drives with people behind the wheel.
Test area for autonomous vehicles
San Francisco became a unique test case for self-driving taxis last year. In addition to Cruise, Google’s sister company Waymo also received approval from a California regulator over the summer to expand driverless transportation services across the city. The city council and many residents were against it. They argued, among other things, that the vehicles often blocked traffic.
Waymo may continue to offer its driverless robotaxi service throughout San Francisco. Overall, it will take significantly longer for autonomous vehicles to become part of everyday life than predicted a few years ago. Although the technology has worked under simple conditions for a long time, some insiders are now wondering whether the software can be trained to handle all unexpected situations.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
