US Regulators Investigate GM's Cruise Autonomous Cars over Pedestrian Safety Concerns; Entire Self-Driving Fleet Suspended

GM's Cruise Facing Multiple Federal Investigations Following Incidents of Robot Cars Nearly Striking Pedestrians; NHTSA Demands Vehicle Data Ahead of California DMV Suspension Due to Safety Misrepresentations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is probing General Motor's autonomous vehicle unit, Cruise, over several incidents where the robot cars nearly hit pedestrians in crosswalks. One vehicle was seen steering towards a pedestrian walking a dog, causing the pedestrian to pause and pull back on the leash, while another vehicle narrowly avoided striking four pedestrians including two children.
The NHTSA is demanding additional information and footage related to these pedestrian incidents from Cruise. This includes any videos captured at least 30 seconds before and after each event and composite renderings.
The investigation comes after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended Cruise's self-driving vehicle license, branding the driverless cars a public hazard. The DMV accuses Cruise of misrepresenting the safety of its self-driving technology.
Due to all the regulatory actions against it, Cruise has suspended all its driverless operations across its entire fleet to rebuild public trust. However, Cruise vehicles with human safety drivers are still allowed to operate.
Despite the current controversies, Cruise and its competitor, Waymo, have introduced their autonomous cars in other states besides California such as Arizona and Texas. They continue to face resistance from lawmakers and citizens who fear the safety of the unproven technology.