Now that Cruise and other robotaxi services are spreading to more cities across the US Sunbelt, the technology is facing more scrutiny than ever. But it’s in San Francisco, where these self-driving vehicle services have been operating for some time that the big problems are arising. In the latest controversy, a woman was hit and pinned underneath one, suffering life-threatening injuries as a result.
Check out the traffic jam caused by Cruise robotaxis in Austin here.
According to local news station KTVU, the unnamed woman was hit by the Cruise robotaxi at around 9:30 pm on October 2 at 5th and Market streets. Whomever originally called 911 said the woman was crossing the street when a car hit her.
Predictably, a spokesperson for Cruise dodged any blame for the incident. This has been typical anytime a robotaxi has been involved in an incident, something that has only fanned the flames of hatred towards it and similar services operating in San Francisco.
First responders found the woman pinned underneath the autonomous Chevy Bolt. Local authorities say nobody was inside the robotaxi and that no other vehicles were around when the accident happened. Cruise claims dashcam footage shows another car hit the woman, throwing her into the pathway of the autonomous taxi.
That’s a phenomenal claim but is of course feasible. KTVU claims Cruise showed it the video and it portrays what the company states. But we think the good people of San Franciso won’t be relieved until they can see this footage, with the woman’s identity hidden, of course. After all, if Cruise taxis are mowing pedestrians down that confirms some of the worst claims about the experimental technology driving these cars.
The KTVU report mentions police “confirmed the basic details of what Cruise said happened but they stopped short of calling it a hit-and-run investigation.” That’s a little interesting and certainly isn’t going to make everyone feel better about the situation/
Image via KTVU
