Cruise has been accused of withholding important information about the infamous San Francisco crash on October 2

Cruise, a developer of unmanned taxis, is under investigation by US authorities for withholding information about a crash of one of its vehicles in San Francisco on 2 October 2023.

Here's What We Know

According to reports, Cruise withheld important information from officials during a briefing the day after the accident. Specifically, the company failed to mention that its autonomous car dragged the victim 6 metres at about 11 km/h, causing serious injuries. The car mistakenly identified a side (rather than frontal) collision and attempted to pull over rather than stop.

At least 100 Cruise employees, including members of senior management, were aware of the incident but failed to report it during an October 3 meeting with San Francisco City Hall, NHTSA, DMV and other officials.

Cruise also promised to show a related video, but due to internet connection issues, the video could not be played. Employees were then unable to verbally confirm the victim's dragging.

Cruise's own audit revealed serious lapses in informing the public and authorities. A third party noted, "short-sightedness and lack of understanding of the duties of transparency and accountability."

Cruise has previously experienced other problems with its autonomous vehicles. The scandal could cause serious reputational damage to the unmanned taxi developer.

Go Deeper:

• In San Francisco, a car hit a pedestrian and threw him under the wheels of a Cruise robot car
• California bans Cruise drone testing after crashes and allegations of data hiding
• Cruise's robotaxis require human intervention every four to five miles, the company confirmed
• Cruise fires nine top executives after investigation into robotaxi incident

Source: Engadget