US agency probes pedestrian risks at GM's self-driving unit Cruise
By David Shepardson and Nick Carey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. auto safety regulators on Tuesday opened a probe into whether General Motors (NYSE:GM)' self-driving unit Cruise is taking sufficient precautions with its autonomous robotaxis to safeguard pedestrians.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said has received two reports from Cruise of incidents in which pedestrians were injured, and identified two further incidents via videos posted on websites.
NHTSA said the reports suggest Cruise vehicles are «encroaching on pedestrians present in or entering roadways, including pedestrian crosswalks, in the proximity of the intended travel path of the vehicles,» and the issue «could increase the risk of a collision with a pedestrian, which may result in severe injury or death.»
One incident occurred Oct 2 in San Francisco in which a pedestrian was struck by a hit-and-run driver, thrown into an adjacent lane and hit a second time by a Cruise robotaxi, which was not able to stop in time and trapped the pedestrian for a period of time.
NHTSA's preliminary evaluation covers about 594 Cruise vehicles and is the first step before the agency could seek to force a recall.
GM is spending nearly $2 billion a year on Cruise but insists the business represents a «giant growth opportunity.» In June, GM CEO Mary Barra reiterated a forecast that Cruise could generate $50 billion a year in annual revenue by 2030.
A spokesperson for Cruise said the company communicates regularly with NHTSA and «has consistently cooperated with each of NHTSA's requests for information.»
In December, NHTSA opened a separate safety probe into the autonomous driving system in Cruise vehicles after reports of two injuries in rear-end
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