California DMV Suspends Cruise Robotaxi Permits Over Withheld Crash Video
The California DMV immediately suspends Cruise's deployment and testing permits after determining the company withheld crucial video footage of a recent pedestrian incident. This abrupt halt ends the GM subsidiary's commercial robotaxi operations in San Francisco.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles immediately suspends Cruise’s deployment and driverless testing permits, effectively halting the General Motors subsidiary’s robotaxi operations in San Francisco. The DMV takes this decisive action after determining that Cruise withholds crucial video footage from an ongoing investigation into a recent accident.
The controversy stems from an October 2 incident where a human-driven car hits a pedestrian, leaving the victim trapped under a Cruise robotaxi. During an October 3 meeting, Cruise only shows the DMV footage of the vehicle's initial hard-braking stop, omitting the fact that the robotaxi subsequently attempts a pullover maneuver while the pedestrian is still underneath.
The DMV later learns of this hidden movement from another government agency, reportedly the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The omitted video reveals that the autonomous vehicle drags the pedestrian about 20 feet at a speed of 7 miles per hour before stopping completely, prompting the DMV to declare that Cruise's omission puts public safety at risk.