California Suspends Permits For Driverless Vehicles

WAYNE, MI - OCTOBER 15:  The new 2008 Ford Focus goes through final assembly after the launch of the 2008 Ford Focus at the Wayne Stamping and Assembly Plant October 15, 2007 in Wayne, Michigan. Ford is next in line for the United Auto Workers union to negotiate a new contract for its members, after coming to terms with General Motors and Chrysler.  (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

OAN’s Stephanie Stahl
4:15 PM – Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended the permits for General Motors’ Cruise driverless cars and ordered the company to remove its cars from state roads, citing public safety concerns. 

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The suspension went into effect immediately on Tuesday, halting operations at the company that had been running a “robotaxi” service in the state. 

Cruise vehicles have faced criticism from lawmakers and the public after a series of concerning incidents.

According to Cruise, the decision to suspend the licenses came after the DMV reviewed an incident that happened on October 2nd

One of Cruise’s self-driving vehicles attempted to brake but was unable to avoid hitting a pedestrian who was hit by another car and hurled into the path of the driverless vehicle. Cruise explained the accident in a statement. 

“A human hit and run driver tragically struck and propelled the pedestrian into the path of the AV.” 

Despite applying the brakes, the AV still collided with the pedestrian. 

“When the AV tried to pull over, it continued before coming to a final stop, pulling the pedestrian forward,” the company said.

“Our teams are currently doing an analysis to identify potential enhancements to the AV’s response to this kind of extremely rare event,” it added.

In response to the DMV’s decision to suspend permits, Cruise said it is complying with the suspension by pausing operations of driverless AVs in San Francisco.

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