On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is fined Cruise, GM’s self-driving car division, $1.5 million. The penalty was imposed for failing to take into account key details of an accident involving one of the company’s autonomous vehicles in October 2023. A pedestrian from San Francisco was hit and dragged.
Cruise is initially fined for submitting several incomplete reports. NHTSA’s reports require pre-crash, pre-crash and post-crash details, which the company provided the agency without a critical detail: a pedestrian was dragged 20 feet by a car at about 7 mph, causing serious injuries. Finally, the company produced a 100-page publication report from a law firm detailing their accident-related failures.
That report said Cruise executives initially showed video of the crash during meetings with San Francisco City Hall, NHTSA, DMV and other officials on Oct. 3. However, the video stream was “interrupted by internet connectivity issues” which obscured the part where the car dragged the victim. Executives who said they knew about the drag in the report also failed to mention this important detail verbally in early meetings because they wanted to let “the video speak for itself.”
Investigators finally learned about the drag after NHTSA asked the company to provide the full video. The government agency says Cruise also amended four other incomplete accident reports related to his vehicles to add additional details.
NHTSA’s new requirements for Cruise include submitting a corrective action plan, among others, covering the total number of vehicles it drives, the miles they travel and whether or not they operate without a driver. It also must summarize software updates that affect the operation, report citations and traffic violations observed, and tell the agency how it will improve safety. Finally, Cruise will be required to meet quarterly with NHTSA to discuss the status of its operations while it reviews its reports and compliance.
The order lasts for at least two years, and NHTSA can extend it for a third year. Reuters informed As of Monday, despite the fine, NHTSA’s investigation into whether Cruise took adequate safety precautions to protect pedestrians was still open. Cruise still faces investigations by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
It would be an understatement to say that the incident left Cruise reeling. After the accident, the company stopped managing itself. Then, last November, the dominoes began to fall: Its CEO resignedand GM said he would Cruise cut investment at the expense of “hundreds of millions of dollars” and restructured its management. Nine more were administrators He was fired in December.
Nevertheless, Cruise is trying to make a comeback under new management. Vehicles with drivers He returned to Arizona and Houston This year, and GM said it spent an additional $850 million. Earlier this month began operations again in Californiaas well as with drivers – this is almost certainly a good thing.
