Six Things 10.31.23
Insurance Thought Leadership
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A Moment of Truth for AVs
Paul Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of ITL
When I first read about an accident involving a Cruise robotaxi that happened in San Francisco in early October, it sounded like a bizarre one-off. In fact, now that more details have emerged, it's clear that the accident represents a real challenge to the near future of all autonomous vehicles.
As originally reported, this was the story:
The accident happened in the central business district at about 9:30 pm on Oct. 2 when a driver hit a woman who was crossing Fifth Street, not in a crosswalk. She was thrown into the path of a robotaxi operated by General Motors' Cruise unit, which was in full autonomous mode. The car hit her and then quickly stopped, with the woman trapped under the car. The robotaxi waited for EMTs to show up and take her to a hospital, where she was treated for multiple trauma injuries. (The driver who hit her first never stopped.)
But that turned out not to be the whole story. When a robotaxi encounters a situation it doesn't know how to handle, it generally pulls off to the side of the road and waits for instructions or assistance. That's what this Cruise AV did -- dragging the injured woman 20 feet in the process, while she was trapped under the left rear axle.
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Compounding the problem, the California Department of Motor Vehicles says Cruise didn't initially show authorities the full video from the incident. The DMV says Cruise only showed the seconds leading up to the impact and then the robotaxi stopping -- leaving out the video of the car pulling off to the side of the road while the woman was trapped underneath. Cruise says it showed authorities the full video multiple times.
In any case, the investigation into the accident has ramped up tensions between Cruise and city and state authorities, which were already sky high, and could drag in Google's Waymo and other AV companies.
What happens now??
This Week's Thought Leadership Content
CEO & Co-founder at First Interpreter, Inc.
1 年Just in time for Halloween, a couple of these articles will frighten readers. Local insurance agents aren’t scared though, as they aren’t gonna take it, anymore!