GM's Cruise self-driving car unit announced Thursday that the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating the matter, stemming from an October crash in which one of the company's robotaxis dragged a pedestrian after colliding with another car. It was revealed that there was.
Mr. Cruz covered the government investigation. blog post In the statement, the company also vowed to reform its corporate culture stemming from a “failure of leadership” surrounding the incident.
The blog post did not reveal the circumstances of the victim, who was dragged 20 feet by the car, or the scope of the Justice Department and SEC investigation.
Cruise, in a 195-page report commissioned by law firm Quinn Emanuel, said Cruise's management and employees “deliberately misled and did not seek details from regulators” about the Oct. 2 incident. There was no evidence to prove that there was an attempt to cover it up. The safety review concerned the events surrounding the incident and did not include a broader examination of the company's culture or protocols.
Among the findings: Cruise's then-CEO Kyle Vogt and chief operating officer Gil West “inexplicably” dismissed the response team less than 24 hours after the accident. The company reported that the company had failed to collect “important information” from witnesses at the accident scene. report.
A separate technical investigation by engineering firm Exponent found that the Cruise vehicle had a mapping error that caused it to incorrectly identify the collision with the woman as a side impact, the blog post said. Cruise has updated the software. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also investigating the accident.
Cruz's four-page blog post cited “inadequate and uncoordinated internal processes, errors in judgment, an 'us versus them' mentality with government officials, and a fundamental misunderstanding of regulatory requirements and expectations.” . The report said more than 100 people knew details of the incident before Cruz's meeting with regulators.
Cruise leaders “focused on rebutting false media stories” rather than providing “material facts to regulators,” the report said. He said they were “drowning” in a “growing barrage of negative press”.
The report said Cruise employees also tried to persuade NHTSA not to open an investigation in October, but the initial report to the federal safety agency did not provide details of the pedestrian who was dragged. He added that there was not.
The report said some people reacted with alarm when Cruz employees tried to play the video for the California DMV, highlighting the horror the car dragged the victims into.
“Several interviewees recalled that some DMV representatives did not watch the video all the way through, and some of them saw injured pedestrians and said, ' “He was in shock and had his head in his hands,” the report said.
Since the accident, Cruise has fired nine executives, its CEO and co-founder have resigned, and cut a quarter of its workforce. California has suspended the company's license to operate self-driving cars in the state.
The report said former CEO Vogt only wanted to release a four-second clip of the accident video that he had edited.
California regulators announced in December that Cruise could be fined $1.5 million and face additional sanctions for failing to fully disclose details of the accident. The woman was suspended from her job in the incident, where she was struck by a human vehicle before being dragged by the Cruise vehicle. The company's license to operate within the state.
In a blog post summarizing the more than 100-page report, Cruise characterized its response to the accident as a mistake made by a relatively new company with little experience in dealing with regulators, the media and the public. I attached it.
The company initially provided regulators with video of the incident, but did not provide any verbal statements, including that the woman was dragged 20 feet. Instead, the video “speaks for itself,” according to the blog post. Internet glitches prevented regulators from fully viewing the videos during three meetings, and the report shows company officials made no effort to resolve the issues.
The law firm said in its report that the video itself says nothing “contrary to Mr. Cruz's assumptions.” He added that even if it were true, “Cruise should have proactively pointed out and explained to NHTSA what happened.”
Quinn Emanuel interviewed 88 people and reviewed 200,000 documents, according to a blog post.
Cruise previously operated hundreds of driverless robotaxis in California, Texas and other locations, hoping to generate meaningful revenue while perfecting the technology for widespread deployment.
The blog post said Cruise omitted information and provided “incomplete facts” and video to the press and the public in an attempt to correct inaccurate media portrayals of the October accident. The post did not make clear how these actions squared with broader claims that there was no intent to mislead.
Cruise and GM faced intense criticism after Cruise did not promptly disclose details of the accident to the California Department of Transportation. The DMV has revoked the company's license to operate driverless vehicles on public roads.
Cruise said it plans to resume testing on public roads, but did not say when or where. GM CEO Mary Barra reiterated in June that cruises could generate $50 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
The executives are scheduled to appear before the California Public Utilities Commission on February 6 to answer questions and help the agency determine appropriate penalties. Cruise had offered a $75,000 settlement, but the commission is seeking stiffer penalties.
NHTSA, CPUC, California DMV, and other regulatory agencies did not comment on the report.
