Robotaxi Caught Malfunctioning at an Intersection

Robotaxis are in disarray in California’s Bay Area. Just over per week after getting the OK to develop service by California state officers, a Cruise robotaxi drove itself into moist cement. Days after that incident, NBC Bay Area experiences one other Cruise automotive glitched out in the midst of an intersection.

The automotive in query was caught on video. In it, Brian Castagne — the person who recorded the video — mentioned that the automotive was simply sitting in an intersection for over a minute. An officer stepped in and approached it, speaking to the automotive, or slightly the operator monitoring it. “And we saw the traffic warden trying to communicate with the Cruise driverless car – he was knocking on the window, trying to talk to some speakers to little avail,” Castagne mentioned.

Worse but, Castagne mentioned site visitors on close by streets had been being affected by different Cruise robotaxis that had been crawling by means of and holding it up. This mess is amongst many different issues robotaxis have been having not too long ago. The issues have caught the eye of the California DMV. On August 18, the company mentioned that it was investigating what it known as “recent concerning incidents” with Cruise robotaxis. Because of this, the DMV instructed Cruise the corporate wanted to cut back the variety of automobiles it had on the streets.

In a press release, the DMV mentioned “Safety of the traveling public is the California DMV’s top priority. The primary focus of the DMV’s regulations is the safe operation of autonomous vehicles and safety of the public who share the road with these vehicles.” Cruise responded to the order.

“Cruise issued a statement Monday on the order, saying they believe their efforts positively impact overall road safety. The company also said it looks forward to working with the DMV to make any improvement and provide any data they need to reinforce the safety and efficiency on the fleet.”

Whether all of that is definitely worth the headache continues to be an open query.

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