The assertion from California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) got here after a Cruise robotaxi was concerned in a crash with an emergency automobile in San Francisco late on Thursday, the most recent accident involving the self-driving vehicles.
The regulator additionally mentioned it has requested Cruise to instantly cut back its energetic fleet of autos by 50% till the investigation is full and Cruise takes actions to enhance street security. Cruise has agreed to a 50% discount, it added.
“The DMV reserves the right, following investigation of the facts, to suspend or revoke testing and/or deployment permits” whether it is decided to be an unreasonable danger to public security, the regulator mentioned in an announcement.
Cruise mentioned certainly one of its vehicles “entered the intersection on a green light and was struck by an emergency vehicle that appeared to be en route to an emergency scene” after 10 p.m. on Thursday (0500 GMT Friday).
The automobile “did identify the risk of a collision and initiated a braking maneuver, reducing its speed, but was ultimately unable to avoid the collision,” the corporate, which is investigating the incident, mentioned in an announcement on Friday.
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Initial investigation reveals the collision occurred when a hearth truck was working in an emergency with its ahead dealing with purple lights and siren on, the San Francisco Police Department mentioned in an announcement to Reuters. The police mentioned the only passenger within the autonomous automobile (AV) was transported to a neighborhood hospital with non-life-threatening accidents.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) final week voted to permit robotaxis from Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo to function in any respect hours of the day all through San Francisco and cost passengers for rides regardless of sturdy opposition from residents and metropolis businesses.
The two have been working robotaxi exams restricted by instances and geographic areas inside San Francisco.
City Attorney David Chiu requested the CPUC on Thursday to halt its resolution whereas town information for a re-hearing. “We have seen that this technology is not yet ready, and poor AV performance has interfered with the life-saving operations of first responders. San Francisco will suffer serious harms from this unfettered expansion,” he mentioned in an announcement.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com