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GM’s Cruise Endorses Safe AV-Cyclist Guidelines

GM’s autonomous vehicle technology division, Cruise, has endorsed a set of guidelines established by The League of American Bicyclists aimed at enhancing the safety of AVs and how they interact with bicyclists on the road.

As part of this endorsement, Cruise is serving as a platinum sponsor of the 2023 National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. Cruise joins Waymo in endorsing the new guidelines.

A Cruise AV on the streets of San Francisco.

The League of American Bicyclists is proud to say that with Cruise endorsing our guidelines for AV-cyclist interactions, every company currently offering paid rides in autonomous vehicles to the public acknowledges and recognizes the value of our principles,” said the executive director of the League of American Bicyclists, Bill Nesper. “We hope at [sic] this industry continues to grow, so too does this commitment to the safety of all road users.”

The guidelines incorporate six main points, including the designation of cyclists as a distinct object class within the Cruise AV programming in order to distinguish between bicyclists and pedestrians, thus enabling the AV system to anticipate and safely react to the unique movements of a bicyclist. In addition, the guidelines stipulate that “typical cyclist behavior” should be programmed into the system, while existing cycling infrastructure and local laws should be a part of the AV’s mapping.

What’s more, AVs should “drive in a consistent and understandable way” to provide predictability, while uncertain situations should be met by the AV proactively slowing down. Finally, AVs should continuously incorporate cyclist driving scenarios during testing.

According to Cruise, the Cruise AVs currently deployed and operating already fulfill each of these guidelines. As The League of American Bicyclists points out, a recent AAA study indicates that consumer attitudes towards autonomous vehicles has worsened, with 68 percent of American drivers in the study reporting to be afraid of autonomous vehicles, and an additional 23 percent of drivers reportedly “unsure” of their attitude to the technology.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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