The California Department of Motor Vehicles has taken action to suspend Cruise's deployment and testing permits for its autonomous vehicles right away. This came after an onslaught of safety worries and occurrences since Cruise (which is owned by General Motors) was granted permission in August for 24/7 robotaxi service in San Francisco. The California DMV stated in a statement, "When there is a serious risk to public safety, the DMV can swiftly suspend or cancel permits."
The California Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday announced the immediate suspension of Cruise's deployment and testing permits for its autonomous vehicles. This comes after numerous safety concerns and occurrences since Cruise, owned by General Motors, received clearance in August for round-the-clock robotaxi service in San Francisco. The DMV declared that when there is a significant hazard to public safety, they can rapidly suspend or annul permits. The decision was based on several aspects, including four regulations that permit suspension in situations where the Department perceives the manufacturer's vehicles to be unsafe for public use, and when the company has made inaccurate claims pertaining to the security of their autonomous technology.Today at 10:30 a.m. PT, the California DMV announced its suspension of Cruise's driverless permits. In its statement, the department stated that the decision was based on its policy that any act or omission of the manufacturer or one of its agents, employees, contractors, or designees which it finds makes the conduct of autonomous vehicle testing on public roads by the manufacturer an unreasonable risk to the public. Cruise spokesperson Hannah Lindow told CNBC in a statement, "As a result, we will be pausing operations of our driverless AVs in San Francisco." Cruise added that it will continue to work with the DMV's investigation.
Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a probe into Cruise following multiple reports of pedestrian injuries and 594 self-driving Cruise vehicles. Just under two months ago, the California Public Utilities Commission approved Cruise’s 247 robotaxi service, making San Francisco the first major US city to allow two robotaxi companies to compete for service at all hours of the day or night. The day after, up to 10 of Cruise's driverless vehicles caused a traffic jam in San Francisco. In response to this, the DMV requested Cruise immediately reduce its active fleet of operating vehicles by 50% until the investigation was completed.
On Tuesday, the DMV said that while they provided Cruise with a guide to apply for permits to be reinstated, they would not approve the appeal unless all requirements are met “to the department's satisfaction.” The DMV's decision does not affect Cruise's permit for testing with a safety driver.
In response to the investigation and suspension of permits, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt posted on LinkedIn, "Safety is our top priority, and our passion is continuous improvement. As a result, our AVs continue to get better."
Comments