U.S. safety regulators investigating GM’s Cruise robotaxis blocking traffic, causing collisions

The U.S. automotive safety officials have begun a formal investigation into the Cruise self-driving car system.

According to a filing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received complaints about the self-driving cars.

The Cruise vehicles become unexpected roadway obstacles because of the two different types of incidents.

NHTSA said in the filing that this may introduce multiple potential dangers such as a collision with a Cruise vehicle, risk to a stranded passenger exiting an immobilized Cruise vehicle, or obstruction of other traffic.

Drew Pusateri is a spokesman for Cruise, a majority-owned unit of GM.

There is always a balance between healthy regulatory scrutiny and innovation, according to Pusateri. In an extremely complex urban environment with zero life-threatening injuries or deaths, the company has driven over one million fully autonomously miles.

The vehicles involved in the probe have the software system. The crash incidents had already been reported by the government.

Cruise is in the process of getting regulatory approval to expand its service in San Francisco from 30% to the whole of the city.

Three instances of hard braking resulted in the car being struck from behind, as reported by NHTSA. The number of vehicles that have become stuck on the road is unknown, but the company has confirmed the incidents to the media.

The scope and severity of the problem will be determined by the Office of Defects Investigation.