Robotaxi Services Face Increased Scrutiny Following Accident

Cities Report Increased Burden on Emergency Services and Infrastructure Due to Autonomous Vehicles

An accident involving a Cruise robotaxi, a subsidiary of General Motors, has raised safety concerns and led to increased regulatory scrutiny. The incident involved a pedestrian who had already been hit by a hit-and-run driver being struck by the driverless cab.
The incident has forced Cruise to pause its services in the U.S. for a safety review, although it continues testing in closed course training environments and public testing overseas.
In San Francisco and Austin, Texas, where passengers can hail autonomous vehicles, these cars have reportedly slowed down emergency response times, caused accidents, increased congestion and added to the workloads of local officials.
More than 600 self-driving vehicle incidents were documented in San Francisco from June 2022 to June 2023, according to the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency.
Despite the challenges, companies like Waymo, Uber, Lyft, and Amazon continue to develop and test their robotaxi services, with the expectation that the technology will spread.