The company left out some key details regarding the incident involving one of its robotaxis and a pedestrian.
On October 2, 2023, a woman was run over and pinned to the ground by a Cruise robotaxi. Given the recent string of very public malfunctions the robotaxis have been experiencing in San Francisco, it was only a matter of time until a pedestrian was hurt by the self-driving cars. New reports, though, suggest that Cruise held back one of the most horrifying pieces of information: that the woman was dragged 20 feet by the robotaxi after being pushed into its path.
The LA Times reports:
A car with a human behind the wheel hit a woman who was crossing the street against a red light at the intersection of 5th and Market Streets. The pedestrian slid over the hood and into the path of a Cruise robotaxi, with no human driver. She was pinned under the car, and was taken to a hospital.
But this is what Cruise left out:
What Cruise did not say, and what the DMV revealed Tuesday, is that after sitting still for an unspecified period of time, the robotaxi began moving forward at about 7 mph, dragging the woman with it for 20 feet.
read more: https://jalopnik.com/woman-hit-by-cruise-robotaxi-was-dragged-20-feet-1850963884
archive link: https://archive.ph/8ENHu
I worked in this industry as a safety driver and various other positions for over 6 years in AZ, first with a company that also made national headlines, and then with the company that has connections with a certain search engine. From the inside it’s easy to see these outcomes happening more and more frequently, these companies are concerned with getting as many driverless miles as they can because that’s where their data comes from, the data is where the money comes from and that’s all that matters. Drivers are typically subcontracted, forced to work long and stressful hours with few breaks. Safety is emphasized, but even dealing with fatigue in the appropriate ways can lead to disciplinary action if you’re fatigued too often, so it goes unreported. I left the company specifically for safety concerns and despite making double there what I make now I won’t be going back.