“People are horrible drivers,” Normal Motors’ one-page commercial in The New York Occasions and different papers final week claimed.
The commercial for Cruise, a GM-backed autonomous driving startup, argued that whereas “individuals trigger hundreds of thousands of accidents yearly within the U.S. … Cruise driverless vehicles are designed to save lots of lives.”
The commercial prominently featured the variety of People who have been killed in automotive crashes in 2022 — a selection that did not sit properly with former NHTSA administrator and security advocate Joan Claybrook.
“Utilizing the ache and struggling of these deaths for self-promotion of an unproven and unsafe product is unscrupulous,” Claybrook mentioned in an announcement distributed by the Advocates for Freeway and Auto Security.
Street security has been a theme in Cruise and different autonomous driving firms’ messaging as they search to win over public opinion and regulatory approval.
“Native leaders and regulators want to soundly discover each choice attainable to reverse the horrific established order on our roads, as a substitute of blocking a crucial expertise with a robust security file,” a Cruise spokeperson mentioned in an announcement. “Final 12 months pedestrian deaths in the USA reached their highest ranges in 40 years, typically attributable to preventable human error, and the general public deserves to know that there is a promising rising expertise that might assist enhance street security.”
Cruise gained approval to cost for its robotaxi rides in elements of San Francisco final summer season and has since begun testing the service in Phoenix, Ariz., and a number of other cities in Texas. In San Francisco, Cruise rides are at the moment solely allowed to cost in a restricted portion of the town and through daytime. The corporate has requested enlargement of approval to permit for paid rides to happen wherever within the metropolis at any time of day. The California Public Utilities Fee is predicted to vote on that request Aug. 10.
The commercials have been a part of a push forward of the vote to approve the allow, the Cruise spokesperson mentioned.
Claybrook mentioned Cruise’s claims within the commercial have been neither “convincing” nor “credible.”
“There are real-world accounts in regards to the havoc Waymo and Cruise robotaxis have inflicted on San Francisco roadways and its residents,” Claybrook mentioned, citing native officers’ considerations about security incidents with robotaxis on metropolis streets. “Their collective expertise highlights the risks, which have disrupted police exercise, hampered firefighting and blocked native streets and intersections.”
A Cruise passenger was hospitalized final summer season after a Cruise automobile stopped earlier than finishing a flip, inflicting a crash with an oncoming Prius. NHTSA opened a probe into Cruise final December after stories of three crashes ensuing from brake timing points. In March, a Cruise taxi crashed right into a San Francisco bus after inaccurately predicting its actions.
However, Cruise mentioned its first 1 million driverless miles had 54 % fewer collisions general than human drivers in a comparable driving surroundings and 73 % fewer collisions with significant danger of harm.
Performing NHTSA administrator Ann Carlson introduced final week the administration plans to publish a discover of proposed rulemaking this fall that might present a brand new regulatory path for deploying giant numbers of self-driving autos.