Cruise's License to Operate Fully-Autonomous Vehicles in California is Suspended

Cruise's license to deploy and test fully-driverless vehicles in the state of California has been suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The decision was based on public safety concerns.

The DMV says it has 'has provided Cruise with the steps needed to apply to reinstate its suspended permits, which the DMV will not approve until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the department’s satisfaction'.

This decision does not impact the company’s permit for testing with a safety driver.

Cruise has issued a statement following a hit-and-run incident in which a human driver collided with a pedestrian crossing the street in San Francisco. 

This launched the pedestrian directly in front of one of Cruise's fully-autonomous vehicles. 

Cruise states: 'Ultimately, safety is at the core of everything we do at Cruise - we want to drastically reduce the number of people injured and killed each year on our roadways. It’s with that mindset that we analyze incidents so we can identify opportunities to further enhance safety'. 

It adds: 'We aim to continuously learn and improve AV behavior, and in developing new simulation tests and rare scenarios, we can assess multiple variations of this type of incident and increase the robustness of the AV’s response'.

The California DMV, states: 'Public safety remains the California DMV’s top priority, and the department’s autonomous vehicle regulations provide a framework to facilitate the safe testing and deployment of this technology on California public roads. When there is an unreasonable risk to public safety, the DMV can immediately suspend or revoke permits. There is no set time for a suspension'.

Cruise has received $10 billion from companies and investors, including GM, Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and Walmart,