GM’s Cruise Robotaxi Service Faces Potential Fine for Alleged Cover-Up of San Francisco Accident In a troubling development, California regulators have accused General Motors’ (GM) Cruise robotaxi service in San Francisco of covering up an accident involving one of its driverless cars. This accusation raises the possibility of an additional fine to be added to the recent suspension of its California license. According to documents filed by the California Public Utilities Commission, the potential penalty facing GM’s Cruise service could amount to approximately $1.5 million. The notice requires Cruise to appear at an evidentiary hearing on February 6th to determine whether the robotaxi service provided misleading information to regulators regarding the incident. The accident occurred on the evening of October 2nd in San Francisco, when one of Cruise’s driverless cars struck a pedestrian who had already been hit by another vehicle driven by a human. This hearing comes just six months after the Public Utilities Commission granted authorization for Cruise’s robotaxi service to charge passengers for around-the-clock rides in San Francisco, despite objections from city officials who raised concerns about malfunctions in the driverless cars. Three weeks after the October 2nd accident, the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended Cruise’s license to operate in the state, effectively shutting down the robotaxi service. The suspension dealt a significant blow to Cruise and its parent company GM, who had already incurred substantial losses during the development of the driverless service. The service was projected to generate $1 billion in revenue by 2025 as it expanded beyond San Francisco. In the aftermath of the October 2nd accident, which left the pedestrian critically injured, Cruise has suffered further setbacks. The incident led to the recent resignation of CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt. Facing the fallout from the accident, Cruise has hired an external law firm to review its response. The most serious allegations revolve around Cruise’s handling of a video that captured the incident. The video reportedly showed a robotaxi named “Panini” dragging the pedestrian for 20 feet before coming to a stop. According to a regulatory filing by the Public Utilities Commission, Cruise did not provide the video footage until October 19th, more than two weeks after the accident. The filing alleges that Cruise attempted to conceal how its robotaxi reacted to the accident during this period. The potential fines for Cruise and GM could amount to $100,000 per day, totaling $1.5 million, given the alleged cover-up spanning 15 days, as stated by the Public Utilities Commission. As personal injury bloggers, we are troubled by the alleged cover-up and the potential safety implications associated with the incident. Transparency and accountability are crucial when it comes to autonomous vehicle technology. We hope that the hearing and subsequent investigation will shed light on the truth and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent such incidents in the future. (Tag: Personal Injury) (Image: Ensuring Safety in Autonomous Vehicles)