Cruise robotaxi drags pedestrian about 20 feet in San Francisco

What happened

On the night of October 2, 2023, a pedestrian was struck by a human-driven vehicle at Market and Fifth streets in San Francisco. KTVU, citing Bay City News, reported that the driver left the scene. The impact threw the pedestrian into the path of a Cruise robotaxi that was traveling alongside with no driver on board.

According to Cruise’s recall filing, the robotaxi steered right and braked hard but still hit the pedestrian. It came to a stop with the woman underneath. The vehicle’s software then classified the event as a side impact and commanded a pullover maneuver. Because its detection system did not register a person under the vehicle, the robotaxi moved toward the curb and dragged her; NHTSA described the distance as approximately 20 feet and the Justice Department as more than 20 feet. TechCrunch reported the vehicle reached about 7 mph.

KTVU reported that the pedestrian was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

The system involved

The vehicle was a Cruise robotaxi operating without a human driver. Cruise’s automated driving system included a collision detection subsystem that chose a post-crash response, in many cases pulling over out of traffic and in others remaining stationary. Cruise told NHTSA that in certain circumstances, such as a collision with a pedestrian positioned low on the ground in the vehicle’s path, the subsystem could command a pullover when staying stopped was the appropriate response.

Investigation and response

Cruise briefed the California DMV, NHTSA and San Francisco officials on October 3, 2023. On October 24, the DMV suspended Cruise’s deployment and driverless testing permits, citing regulations covering vehicles that are not safe for public operation and a manufacturer misrepresenting safety information. The DMV said the video it was first shown ended at the initial stop and did not show the pullover; Cruise said it had shared the full video, and the DMV stood by its account. Cruise paused operation of its driverless fleet on October 26 and on November 7 filed recall 23E-086 for 950 software units, with an update that would have kept the vehicle stationary.

On September 30, 2024, NHTSA announced a consent order with Cruise over several incomplete reports under its Standing General Order, two of which left out the post-crash dragging. Cruise agreed to a $1.5 million penalty, a corrective action plan and at least two years of enhanced reporting.

On November 14, 2024, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced that Cruise had admitted to providing a false record to NHTSA with intent to impede or influence the investigation. Under a three-year deferred prosecution agreement, Cruise agreed to pay a $500,000 criminal fine, cooperate with government investigations, implement a safety compliance program and file annual reports. Prosecutors said Cruise employees gave NHTSA the video showing the dragging but the company did not correct its written reports.

What is not established

Cruise disputed the DMV’s statement that it initially withheld the portion of the video showing the pullover. NHTSA gives the drag distance as approximately 20 feet, while the Justice Department says over 20 feet.