The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a special investigation into a crash in San Francisco involving a Cruise autonomous vehicle that resulted in minor injuries.
The agency’s special crash investigations team officially launched its inquiry June 22, according to documents viewed by TechCrunch. Reuters was first to report the investigation.
Cruise did not respond to a request for comment about the incident or the special investigation.
Cruise, GM’s self-driving vehicle subsidiary, has been testing its autonomous vehicles on public streets in San Francisco for years in an effort to commercialize the technology. Cruise reached an important milestone June 2 when it received the final permit required to operate and charge the public for rides in its driverless robotaxis. The company began offering fared rides to the general public June 24.
Even as the positive news swirled around Cruise, it was dealing with a crash and other troublesome incidents, including a number of Cruise robotaxis blocking traffic for several hours before employees arrived to manually move them.
The crash NHTSA is investigating, occurred at 11 p.m. June 3, according to documents filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates AVs in the state. NHTSA’s special crash investigations program focuses on cases useful for examining special crash circumstances or outcomes from an engineering perspective.
Cruise said in the crash report that its autonomous vehicle was traveling eastbound and entered the left-hand turn lane, turned the left turn signal on, and initiated a left turn on a green light onto Spruce Street. At the same time, a Toyota Prius that was traveling westbound at about 45 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone approached the intersection in the right-turn lane. The Cruise vehicle came to a stop before fully completing its turn onto Spruce Street due to the oncoming Toyota Prius, and the Toyota Prius entered the intersection traveling straight from the turn lane instead of turning, according to the report.
The Toyota Prius then made contact with the rear passenger side of the Cruise AV, damaging the right rear door, panel, and wheel of the Cruise AV. Occupants of both vehicles received medical treatment for allegedly minor injuries, Cruise said in its report.
Source: TechCrunch
Hi there! My name is Peter Kavinsky, and I am an author at CableFreeTV.org. I am passionate about journalism, and I bring my years of experience and love for news to my role as a writer for this incredible platform.
I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Journalism, and I have spent the last ten years writing for a variety of news outlets. My experience includes covering topics such as politics, business, entertainment, and technology for major news organizations like The New York Times, CNN, and MSNBC.
As a writer for CableFreeTV.org, my primary responsibility is to collect and publish news articles from around the world. I am dedicated to providing our readers with accurate, reliable, and timely news coverage on a wide range of topics. I believe that access to quality news and information is crucial for a well-informed society, and I am committed to doing my part to ensure that our readers have the latest and most important news at their fingertips.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy reading, traveling, and spending time with my family. I am also a sports fan, and I love cheering on my favorite teams. As an author at CableFreeTV.org, I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a team that is committed to providing our users with the best possible streaming experience and access to the latest news and information from around the world.