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California DMV Suspends Permits for Tech Startup Cruise’s Driverless Cars

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced on Tuesday that it is suspending the permits that allowed Cruise, a tech startup, to operate driverless cars. This decision halts the operations of one of the two companies that has been running a commercial robotaxi fleet in the state.

The primary reason behind this suspension is public safety concerns. Cruise vehicles have been involved in a series of incidents that have sparked criticism from elected officials and the public, particularly in San Francisco.

In response to the suspension, Cruise stated that it is pausing operations and assessing potential improvements. One incident earlier this month involved a Cruise car driving over a pedestrian who had just been hit by a human driver. The company is now evaluating how it should handle such events to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Cruise emphasized that their mission is to develop and deploy autonomous vehicles in order to save lives. In the recent incident, the Cruise vehicle reportedly braked aggressively before impact and attempted to pull over to avoid further safety issues.

Cruise expressed their concern for the victim and hopes for a quick recovery. The company’s teams are currently analyzing the incident to identify potential enhancements to the autonomous vehicle’s response in extremely rare events.

Furthermore, Cruise stated in a blog post that the responsible human driver is still at large. According to their simulations, had it been a Cruise autonomous vehicle instead, it would have detected and avoided the pedestrian.

Cruise, founded in San Francisco in 2013, is now majority-owned by General Motors. Their vehicles have occasionally caused traffic disruptions, such as difficulty navigating certain areas due to wireless connectivity issues and instances of blocking city buses or causing delays to emergency vehicles.

It is important to note that Waymo, the other company with a permit for a driverless taxi fleet, has not been affected by the suspension. Waymo shares a parent company with Google.

Supporters of autonomous vehicle technology argue that despite these incidents, Cruise and Waymo are still a safer alternative to human drivers. Neither company has been found at fault in any fatalities, while cities like San Francisco continue to grapple with traffic-related deaths and injuries caused by human drivers.

The DMV has not specified the duration of the suspension. However, it has provided Cruise with guidelines to reinstate its suspended permits, which will only be approved once the company meets the DMV’s requirements to their satisfaction.

In the meantime, Cruise can still conduct tests with a safety driver present in the vehicle, according to the DMV’s statement.

Cruise’s operations in Arizona and Texas remain unaffected by the California DMV’s decision, allowing the company to continue its activities in those states.

It is worth mentioning that Cruise has been incurring significant expenses for its owners, including General Motors. As of earlier this year, the company was reportedly losing nearly $7 million per day.

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