NHTSA launches investigation into sudden stops of Cruise robot cabs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has begun investigating sudden stops of Cruise unmanned cabs that may have triggered accidents on San Francisco roads after a series of complaints.

Here's What We Know

A subsidiary of General Motors has 242 Cruise vehicles (a modification of the Chevrolet Bolt) that perform driverless passenger transportation. NHTSA says the investigation covers all vehicles. It is possible that Cruise will soon have to pause the service and recall the vehicles to update the driver assistance systems

San Francisco authorities sent a letter to NHTSA in September asking it to look into the situation as unmanned cabs began suddenly stopping, creating a risk of accidents on the roads. The cars were blocking traffic and causing interference. Despite everything, the city authorities do not want to completely abandon the service of unmanned passenger transportation.

It's worth noting that NHTSA had complaints about the Cruise cars long before they started suddenly stopping in the middle of the road. In one incident in April of this year, a company car "ran away" from a police officer when he approached it. Over the summer, several cars converged on the same street and blocked traffic.

Source: The Verge
Image: TechCrunch