The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Monday fined GM’s autonomous vehicle division, Cruise, $1.5 million. The fine was imposed for omitting key details in an October 2023 crash in which one of the company’s self-driving cars struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco.
Mr. Cruz was initially fined for filing several incomplete reports. NHTSA’s report requires pre-crash, crash, and post-crash details, but the company filed the report without providing important details. The pedestrian was dragged 20 feet by the vehicle at approximately 7 mph and suffered serious injuries. The company ultimately released a 100-page report from a law firm detailing the company’s failures regarding the accident.
Cruise executives initially played video of the accident during an Oct. 3 meeting with San Francisco’s mayor’s office, NHTSA, DMV and other officials, the report said. However, the video stream was “interrupted by internet connectivity issues” and the part where the vehicle dragged the victim was obscured. The executives, who the report says were aware of the dragging, did not verbally discuss key details during the initial meeting because they “wanted the video to speak for itself.”
Investigators only learned about the drag after NHTSA asked the company to provide the entire video. Cruise also corrected and added details to four other incomplete crash reports for its vehicles, the agency said.
NHTSA’s new requirements for cruises include submitting a corrective action plan covering things like total number of vehicles, distance traveled and whether they operated without a driver. They must also summarize software updates that impact operations, report citations and observed traffic violations, and inform government agencies how they can improve safety. Finally, Cruise will be required to meet quarterly with NHTSA to discuss the status of its operations, reviewing reports and compliance.
This order will last for at least two years, and NHTSA can extend it for up to three years. Reuters reported on Monday that despite the fine, an NHTSA investigation into whether Cruise was taking adequate safety measures to protect pedestrians was still ongoing. Mr. Cruz remains under investigation by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
It is no exaggeration to say that this incident caused confusion within Cruise. The company discontinued its self-driving business after the accident. Then, last November, the dominoes began to fall, with the CEO stepping down and GM announcing it would cut its investment in Cruise by “hundreds of millions of dollars” and restructure its leadership team. Nine more executives were fired in December.
Nevertheless, Cruise is trying to bounce back under new leadership. Chauffeur-driven vehicles are returning to Arizona and Houston this year, and GM said it’s pumping an additional $850 million into it. Earlier this month, they resumed service in California with drivers, which can be a good thing.
