DETROIT (AP) — General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit is recalling all 950 of its cars to update software after one of them dragged a pedestrian to the side of a San Francisco street in early October.

According to documents released by U.S. safety regulators on Wednesday, the company stated that with the revised software, Cruise vehicles will stay still if a similar event happens again in the future.

On October 2nd, a crash occurred that led Cruise to halt their driverless operations across the country. This decision was made after California regulators determined that the cars were a threat to the safety of the public. As a result, the Department of Motor Vehicles revoked Cruise’s license, as they were operating in San Francisco without any human drivers.

During the collision, a person operating a separate vehicle struck a pedestrian, causing them to be propelled into the path of a self-driving Cruise vehicle. The Cruise initially came to a stop, but ultimately collided with the person. However, the vehicle then veered to the side in order to avoid obstructing traffic, dragging the person approximately 20 feet (6 meters) forward. The pedestrian was trapped beneath one of the Cruise vehicle’s tires and sustained severe injuries.

According to records released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Cruise reports that they have implemented new software in their test cars, which are currently being monitored by human safety drivers. Cruise states that the self-driving fleet will receive the updated software before recommencing operations.

On Wednesday, the GM division stated that it conducted a recall despite its findings that a similar crash with a potential for severe injury could occur every 10-100 million miles without the update.

The statement expressed our commitment to constantly enhance and minimize the frequency of these incidents. As our software evolves, we may issue more recalls to keep NHTSA and the public informed about safety enhancements in our fleet.

Cruise announced that, following a thorough evaluation of its system, it will be implementing several measures. These include appointing a chief safety officer, retaining a law firm to assess their response to the Oct. 2 accident, enlisting a third-party engineering firm to determine the technical cause, and implementing company-wide “pillars” to prioritize safety and transparency.

Issues at Cruise may hinder the implementation of completely self-driving vehicles that transport passengers without any human operators present. This could potentially lead to stricter government oversight of these vehicles, which are increasingly being utilized in various cities across the country.

On October 16, NHTSA initiated an inquiry into four instances where Cruise vehicles may have failed to display appropriate caution towards pedestrians. According to official documents, two injuries were reported, one of which occurred on October 2 in a collision. The complaints pertain to vehicles operating without human control and potentially posing a risk to pedestrians in their intended route, including those in crosswalks.

According to filings submitted to NHTSA, Cruise stated that their automated driving system is programmed to sometimes move to the side of the road and away from traffic in order to reduce safety risks and disturbance after a collision, based on the specific details of the crash. However, in situations where a pedestrian is in the vehicle’s path on the ground, this action may not be appropriate.

The company stated that the Cruise system misinterpreted the collision as a side collision and instructed the AV to try to move out of traffic, resulting in the person being pulled forward instead of staying in place.

The Department of Motor Vehicles did not provide details on why they suspended Cruise’s license, but they claimed that Cruise misrepresented safety data regarding their self-driving technology. This decision came after several incidents that raised concerns about the potential dangers and inconvenience of Cruise’s robotaxis.

The DMV and other parties have alleged that Cruise did not initially provide all of the video footage from the accident, but the company operating the robotaxi has countered by stating that they did in fact disclose the complete video to both state and federal authorities.

Reworded: General Motors Co. has high aspirations for Cruise, as the automaker from Detroit had projected earning $1 billion in annual revenue from Cruise by 2025, a significant increase from the $106 million earned in the previous year.

The production of the Origin, a self-driving vehicle created by Cruise to transport multiple passengers, is currently on hold at GM. Production is expected to resume at a factory near Detroit once Cruise restarts its self-driving ride-hailing services.

Source: wral.com