A pedestrian, the woman was hit by another vehicle and thrown into the path of a Cruise taxi.
In a startling incident that has sent shockwaves through the world of self-driving technology, General Motors’ autonomous car company, Cruise, has been forced to confront the grim consequences of its mistakes. A woman in San Francisco was recently struck and dragged by a Cruise self-driving taxi, sustaining “multiple traumatic injuries” and leaving the company scrambling to regain the public’s trust.
The harrowing details paint a disturbing picture. A pedestrian, whose identity has not been released, was first hit by a hit-and-run vehicle at the intersection of 5th and Market streets. Thrown into the path of the Cruise autonomous taxi, the woman was then pinned underneath the vehicle and dragged for approximately 20 feet as the car tried to pull out of the roadway.
According to Cruise’s initial statement, the self-driving car had “braked aggressively to minimize impact,” but the company later acknowledged that the vehicle’s software had made a mistake in registering the location of the collision. Tragically, the car continued to drive at a speed of 7 mph, with the injured woman still trapped beneath it.
Cruise conveyed that its employees remain deeply concerned and empathetic towards the pedestrian who was injured in the incident and went on to convey its hope for the woman’s ongoing recovery from the traumatic incident.
The incident has left a deep scar on the woman’s life, and Cruise has now agreed to a staggering settlement of between $8 million and $12 million to compensate her for the ordeal. While the exact terms of the agreement and the woman’s current condition remain shrouded in mystery, the sheer magnitude of the payout underscores the gravity of the situation.
But the ramifications of this incident extend far beyond the individual case. The Cruise collision has shaken the very foundations of the autonomous vehicle industry, casting doubt on the safety and reliability of these cutting-edge technologies. The company’s license for driverless operations in California has been suspended, and it now finds itself accused of lying to investigators and withholding crucial footage of the crash.
In the aftermath, Cruise has been forced to take a step back, announcing that it will resume testing its robotaxis in Arizona, this time with a “safety driver” behind the wheel to take control if necessary. The company’s rhetoric has shifted, with a renewed emphasis on “safety” as the “defining principle” guiding its progress towards resuming driverless operations.
However, the damage to Cruise’s reputation may prove difficult to repair. The public’s trust in the safety and capabilities of autonomous vehicles has been severely eroded, and the industry as a whole must now realize that the path to a driverless future is paved with unforeseen challenges and tragic consequences.
As Cruise navigates this crisis, the broader implications for the autonomous vehicle industry cannot be overstated. The stakes have never been higher, and the lesson learned here is a stark one: the race for technological supremacy must be tempered by a solid commitment to safety and accountability. Only then can the dream of a seamless, collision-free transportation system truly be realized.
Reference:
93% Have Concerns About Self-Driving Cars According to New Forbes Legal Survey
Join the conversation!