GM’s Cruise Doubles Down On Safety In Autonomous Driving Efforts

August 5, 2024 12:59 pm

General Motors’ autonomous driving technology subsidiary, Cruise, is currently undergoing a significant overhaul to improve its self-driving system and enhance safety. The company is addressing safety concerns following a significant crash last October, aiming to refine its AV technology into a “role model driver” and not just a “better-than-average driver.” The company has also laid off roughly 900 employees and replaced senior management in the wake of the October incident.

Speaking at the recent Automated Road Transportation Symposium in San Diego, Cruise Chief Safety Officer Steve Kenner outlined the company’s ongoing efforts to double down on safety.

“We’re holding ourselves to a bar of ‘role model driver,’ and not just a ‘better-than-average driver,'” Kenner said, per Automotive News. Kenner took on the role of Chief Safety Officer in February, making his public statements at the Automated Road Transportation Symposium his first since taking the new position.

Back in October of 2023, a Cruise autonomous vehicle was involved in a crash that injured a pedestrian. In the incident, the pedestrian was hit by an adjacent human-driven vehicle before being “launched” in front of the AV. The pedestrian was subsequently trapped under the AV and dragged roughly 20 feet at 7 mph. First responders were forced to use the jaws of life to lift the AV and free the injured pedestrian.

“Cruise is a different company today than it was last fall,” Kenner said at the Symposium.

In response to the incident, the autonomous technology company paid a series of fines and suspended its driverless vehicle operations across the nation. The company also commissioned an independent third-party investigation to look into the incident. Kenner indicated that the company will hire an independent evaluator for a safety review before resuming commercial driverless services. The company resumed testing with human safety drivers in three U.S. cities in May.

“Yes, I want to have a third party engaged in the assessment of our safety case,” the safety chief said. “I do think in terms of building trust and confidence. That’s important.”