The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has taken steps to ensure public safety by requesting General Motors’ Cruise robotaxi business to scale back its autonomous vehicle fleet by 50 percent within San Francisco. This decision comes in the wake of a recent collision involving one of Cruise’s Chevrolet Bolts and a fire truck. The incident has prompted the state DMV to initiate an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
According to sources at TechCrunch, the state DMV’s inquiry has been prompted by a series of “recent concerning incidents” involving Cruise’s autonomous vehicles operating within San Francisco. The regulatory authority has advised that until the investigation is concluded, Cruise’s robotaxi business should operate no more than 50 driverless vehicles during daylight hours and limit its fleet to 150 robotaxis operational at night.
In a released statement, the California DMV emphasized its unwavering commitment to the safety of the public. “The safety of the traveling public is the California DMV’s top priority,” the statement read. “The primary focus of the DMV’s regulations is the safe operation of autonomous vehicles and safety of the public who share the road with these vehicles.”
As part of the directives issued by the DMV, Cruise’s autonomous fleet will be temporarily reduced. “The DMV is investigating recent concerning incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco,” the statement continued. “The DMV is in contact with Cruise and law enforcement officials to determine the facts and requested Cruise to immediately reduce its active fleet of operating vehicles by 50% until the investigation is complete and Cruise takes appropriate corrective actions to improve road safety. Cruise has agreed to a 50% reduction and will have no more than 50 driverless vehicles in operation during the day and 150 driverless vehicles in operation at night.”
However, the DMV maintains its prerogative to take further action if deemed necessary. “The DMV reserves the right, following investigation of the facts, to suspend or revoke testing and/or deployment permits if there is determined to be an unreasonable risk to public safety.”
In response to the DMV’s request, General Motors’ Cruise has complied by reducing its fleet size and also published a blog post addressing the circumstances that led to the accident involving its driverless Chevrolet Bolt EV. The incident occurred when the autonomous vehicle collided with a fire truck that was equipped with its siren and emergency lights.
According to Cruise, its autonomous system promptly identified the presence of the emergency vehicle as it came into view. The remote operator observed that the vehicle initiated braking and reduced its speed; however, despite these efforts, the collision could not be averted. At the time of the accident, one passenger was inside the vehicle, sustaining “non-severe injuries” and subsequently being transported to a hospital for further examination.
It is noteworthy that just a week prior to the fire truck collision, both Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo were granted permission to conduct round-the-clock operations of their driverless taxis within San Francisco. However, shortly after the approval, a glitch in the connectivity resulted in 10 Cruise AVs coming to a halt on Grant Avenue, causing a 20-minute traffic disruption. Additionally, a few days later, another Cruise robotaxi navigated into a construction site, becoming trapped in wet concrete.
As the investigation unfolds, the incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by autonomous vehicle companies and regulators alike as they strive to ensure the safe integration of these vehicles into urban environments. The outcome of the inquiry will likely shape the future policies and practices surrounding the deployment of autonomous vehicles on public roads.
