US regulators investigate Cruise drone crashes involving pedestrians

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into the Cruise autonomous car system. The reason was incidents with pedestrians in San Francisco, where the company provides robotaxi services.

Here's What We Know

The investigation followed reports of Cruise accidents in which the cars showed a lack of caution towards pedestrians. Two injuries and two incidents caught on video are known to have occurred.

The investigation aims to determine the extent of the problem and possible factors related to the system's behaviour around pedestrians. As of today, the exact number of incidents is unknown, the NHTSA said.

Cruise said their vehicles' safety record exceeds that of human drivers. The company has expressed a willingness to cooperate with the regulator as part of the investigation.

Go Deeper:

• In San Francisco, a car hit a pedestrian and threw him under the wheels of a Cruise robot car
• Cruise's unmanned taxi got stuck in wet cement in San Francisco
• Firefighters in San Francisco blamed two Cruise robot taxis for blocking an ambulance carrying a patient who later died

Source: TechCrunch