General Motors Self-Driving Vehicle Investigation After Crash

The US Highway Safety Agency (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the vehicles of Cruze, a subsidiary of General Motors (GM), which specializes in autonomous driving, after several accidents involving sudden acceleration or premature stopping. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received three separate reports of accidents caused by car sudden braking triggered by self-driving software. “In response to the rapid approach of another vehicle from behind”According to a statement AFP learned on Friday.

In all three cases, the car was driven under the supervision of an individual who could regain control if necessary, NHTSA said. In each case, the vehicle behind hit the cruise car. The agency also reported that it has received “many” Reports of incidents occurring in the framework of driving without human supervision, i.e. without the possibility of immediate recovery in the event of a software failure.

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All these examples relate to vehicles stopping suddenly in the middle of the lane for no apparent reason. An investigation will be conducted to find out “Scale and Severity of Potential Problems” and assess security implications. Cruz announced his intention, AFP heard “Continue to fully cooperate with NHTSA.” And to find some other efficient regulator “A balance between regulatory oversight and innovation is what we desperately need to save lives.”.

80 cars recalled in US

The GM subsidiary assured that its vehicles have already traveled more than one million kilometers under normal traffic conditions, without any fatality or accidents that could endanger the life of a passenger. Cruise has been picking up fare-paying passengers in its robotaxis in San Francisco since early June. In early September, it recalled 80 cars in the U.S. to replace the software after a vehicle in its fleet collided with another vehicle that did not correctly predict the path of another vehicle. According to a report submitted to the California agency, two people suffered minor injuries.

Cruise has modified his software and promises that if a similar situation happens again, he won’t make the same mistake. Several car manufacturers, with Tesla at the forefront, have been working for years to develop autonomous driving or driver assistance systems. But progress has been slower than initially expected. Cruise competitor Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet (Google’s parent company), has been offering self-drive rides for a fee to residents of Phoenix, Arizona since 2018.