GM's Cruise Robotaxi Workaround Has First Responders Moving Wayward Autonomous Cars

Companies hoping to press autonomous vehicles into service on public roads have a long way to go to convince governments and local residents that everything will be fine, and the number of high-profile accidents in test cities isn’t helping. General Motors’ Cruise has been testing AVs in San Francisco for a while, but the company’s vehicles have been involved in a number of incidents with first responders, in which they block or delay rescue workers’ ability to help people. The company is looking at ways to improve the situation and recently penned a blog post to explain the path forward.

Cruise’s blog stated that first responders will have access to the AVs and can move them manually. “Through continued training with law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS, we can leverage our cooperative relationship to educate and receive feedback,” Cruise said its goal is to train first responders and ensure that its vehicles’ movements are predictable.

The company also has in-house “assistance advisors” that can take remote control of the vehicles to move them to a safe place. That should prevent the issues we currently see, in which the robotaxis end up stuck in extremely inconvenient positions while traffic piles up in both directions.

While this is absolutely a workaround, it will help first responders. It won’t, however, change public sentiment and discourage protesters from damaging or otherwise interfering with Cruise’s operations. It also doesn’t make the cars any less likely to get in the way in the first place, a development that will take significant effort and more time. In the meantime, don’t believe anyone telling you that self-driving cars are “just around the corner.”

[Image: Michael Vi via Shutterstock]

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