Newsom's Robotaxi Push Halted After Driverless Car Strikes, Pins Pedestrian Under Vehicle
After a driverless taxi struck a San Francisco pedestrian, the resulting investigation led the California Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend the operating permit of the Cruise robotaxi service on Tuesday.
The incident in question began on Oct. 2 when a human driver hit the pedestrian and fled the scene, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The initial impact launched the pedestrian into the path of an oncoming Cruise robotaxi, which braked but still ran the woman over, dragging her 20 feet before coming to a stop.
The woman was pinned under the driverless car, and rescue crews had to use a “jaws of life” tool to free her. She remains hospitalized in serious condition, according to the Chronicle.
“Cruise called the crash tragic but said that the robotaxi stopped as it was supposed to and that a human driver couldn’t have reacted any faster,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
However, the case has been complicated by accusations that Cruise has not been totally transparent with investigators and journalists.
The DMV said the company provided footage of the accident, but the portion showing the car dragging the pedestrian was apparently edited out. Chronicle reporters said they were also shown a shortened version of the footage.
Cruise has denied those claims and said it showed the DMV the full video, the Times reported. The company said the vehicle continued moving after running over the woman because it was attempting to pull over.
That pullover maneuver with the woman still trapped under the robotaxi was cited by the DMV as one of the reasons why it suspended Cruise’s operations.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he supported the decision “with a few exclamation points,” according to a separate report from the Chronicle.
Newsom is a staunch supporter of driverless technology, having backed a push by the state to prevent cities from regulating the robotaxi industry. Last month, Newsom also vetoed a bill requiring humans in self-driving semi-trucks.
California has promoted driverless vehicles over the protests of first responders, who have reported dangerous incidents of robotaxis interfering with firefighters, emergency medical workers and police.
Bryant Walker Smith, who specializes in automated vehicle law at the University of South Carolina, said the fallout from the Oct. 2 incident and alleged cover-up could damage the robotaxi industry as a whole.
“One possibility is that this feeds into the narrative of automated vehicles and the companies behind them … suffering and failing,” he said.
If Cruise did withhold the full footage, he said, “the next question is how can we trust anything else you’ve told us.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is still investigating the incident.
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