The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary evaluation Monday into the safety of Cruise self-driving vehicles around pedestrians, following two reports of pedestrian injuries from the company’s vehicles. NHTSA said it found two more relevant incidents through videos posted online. A preliminary evaluation will help determine the scope and severity of the potential problem.
In the most recent incident on Oct. 2 in San Francisco, a woman was struck by a hit-and-run driver and thrown into the path of a driverless Cruise vehicle unable to stop in time to avoid hitting her. She suffered traumatic injuries after being pinned under the Cruise vehicle, a Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle, according to news reports. The other incident reported to NHTSA was a Cruise vehicle with a green light that struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at low speed.
NHTSA has been investigating Cruise since December for incidents where Cruise vehicles came to a standstill on the road, creating dangerous situations for passengers and other drivers.
