What’s Happening: A Cruise autonomous vehicle (AV) was involved in a minor collision with a city bus, resulting in damage to the AV’s front fender but no injuries. The company has filed a voluntary recall with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and issued a software update to address the issue.
Why It Matters: This incident highlights the continuous improvement and rigorous safety culture at Cruise, as well as the advantages of AVs in rapidly diagnosing, reacting to, and remedying potential issues.
Key Points:
- The collision occurred when the AV’s braking was delayed due to a unique error in predicting the movement of articulated vehicles like the bus involved.
- Cruise assembled a team to investigate the incident, working closely with state and federal regulators.
- The company’s engineering teams developed a software update to improve performance near articulated vehicles, rolling it out to the entire fleet within two days of the incident.
- Extensive data analysis and simulations indicated that similar incidents were extremely rare, with no other collisions related to this issue found in over 1 million miles driven in fully driverless mode.
- Cruise has voluntarily recalled previous versions of their software impacted by the issue and is committed to making continuous improvements in roadway safety.
Bottom Line: Cruise’s proactive response to the collision showcases their dedication to safety and the benefits of AV technology in quickly addressing and resolving potential issues. The company’s relationship with regulators like NHTSA and their ongoing commitment to improving road safety sets a positive example for the AV industry as a whole.
