Industry
Mint Primer: Cruise's safety pit stop revs up who's-at-the wheel debate
Summary
- GM’s autonomous vehicle startup Cruise has slammed the brakes on its driverless cars, as US regulators investigate alleged safety breaches
GM’s autonomous vehicle startup Cruise has slammed the brakes on its driverless cars, as US regulators investigate alleged safety breaches. Will this move put a spoke in the wheel of driverless cars globally? Or is this a step in the right direction? Mint explains:
Why is Cruise being hauled up?
Up until early August, only Cruise autonomous cars with a “safety driver" (human) could charge cab fares for rides in California at night. Cruise driverless cars could take passengers without humans but not charge any fare. Alphabet-owned Waymo, another fully autonomous car, couldn’t charge without a human driver either. On 14 August, California regulators allowed both to offer 24-hour robotaxi services in San Francisco without restrictions. But earlier this month, a Cruise driverless car dragged a pedestrian, who was hit by another human-driven vehicle, for nearly 20 feet before coming to a halt.
How is Cruise addressing the issue?
Founded a decade ago by Kyle Vogt, Cruise’s driverless cars operate in San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, and Miami. In December 2022, too, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had received complaints about malfunctions around “inappropriately hard braking" or becoming “immobilized while operating". This time around, two California agencies suspended Cruise’s licence to test and operate driverless vehicles. Cruise has halted its driverless operations in the US and says it is “taking steps to rebuild public trust". NHTSA is examining the issue.
How popular are driverless cars globally?
Many self-driving cars are “partially self-driving", without the Level 5 automation that implies full automation in all conditions as defined by SAE International that develops global standards for the mobility industry. Driverless cars already ply across the US, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden, China, the UK and Germany.
What are the benefits of driverless cars?
Minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari says driverless cars will not be allowed in India because they can replace human drivers. But automated cars can save lives and reduce injuries—94% of serious crashes are due to human error, according to NHTSA. Automated vehicles may also provide mobility options to the disabled. Moreover, shared self-driving car fleets can directly compete with urban taxis and public transport services. While some drivers may lose their jobs, it is a cheap transport option.
But what about safety?
Firms must be held accountable when their autonomous vehicles cause traffic jams, accidents, or deaths. There also needs to be clarity on how insurance firms will tackle cases of driverless cars being tampered with or getting stolen. Artificial intelligence algorithms should be able to explain why and how they make driving decisions. For example, Microsoft-backed self-driving carmaker Wayve has developed a technology called LINGO-1 that can explain to drivers how its AI is “thinking" and making decisions.
