On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fined Cruise, GM's autonomous vehicle division, $1.5 million. The penalty was imposed for omitting key details of an October 2023 accident in which one of the company's autonomous vehicles struck and dragged a San Francisco pedestrian.
Cruise is being fined for initially filing several incomplete reports. NHTSA reports require pre-crash and post-crash details, which the company provided to the agency without one critical detail: that the pedestrian was dragged by the vehicle for 20 feet at approximately 7 MPH, causing serious injuries. Finally, the company published a 100-page document. report from a law firm detailing its failures surrounding the accident.
That report claims Cruise executives initially played video of the crash during Oct. 3 meetings with the San Francisco Mayor's Office, NHTSA, DMV and other officials. However, the transmission of the video was “hindered by Internet connectivity problems” that obscured the part where the vehicle dragged the victim. The executives, who according to the report knew about the drag, also did not verbally mention that crucial detail in initial meetings because they wanted to let “the video speak for itself.”
Investigators finally learned about the drag after NHTSA asked the company to send the full video. The government agency says Cruise also amended four other incomplete accident reports involving its vehicles to add additional details.
NHTSA's new requirements for Cruise include submitting a corrective action plan, along with others covering the total number of vehicles, miles traveled and whether they operated without a driver. You also have to summarize software updates that affect operation, report citations and observed violations of traffic laws, and inform the agency how you will improve safety. Finally, Cruise will have to meet quarterly with NHTSA to discuss the status of its operations while reviewing its reporting and compliance.
The order lasts at least two years and NHTSA can extend it to a third year. Reuters reported Monday that, despite the fine, NHTSA's investigation into whether Cruise is taking appropriate safety precautions to protect pedestrians remains open. Cruise still faces investigations by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
To say the incident sent shockwaves through Cruise would be an understatement. The company stopped its autonomous driving operations after the accident. Then, last November, the dominoes began to fall: Its CEO resigned and GM said it would cut its investment in Cruises by “hundreds of millions of dollars” and restructure its leadership. In December, nine other executives were fired.
However, Cruise is trying to bounce back under his new leadership. Driver-driven vehicles returned to Arizona and Houston this year, and GM said it is investing an additional $850 million in it. Earlier this month, it started operating again in California, also with drivers, which, we can safely say, is a good thing.
