GM’s Cruise must pay a $1.5 million penalty to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) following incomplete reports the company made, according to a NHTSA press release. 

Two of the reports failed to disclose the post-crash data of an October 2023 incident where a Cruise vehicle that was operating without a driver dragged a pedestrian about 20 feet, according to the release. 

The failure to report is a violation of NHTSA’s Standing General Order (SGO) which requires OEMs to report details about crashes involving vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS) or SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The requirements include the submittal of crash reports within a certain timeframe based on the severity of the crash. It also must include pre-crash, crash, and post-crash details. 

NHTSA discovered Cruise omitted details from its crash reports after viewing video footage it requested from the October incident, the release says. Cruise later amended four other SGO reports to provide additional details about other crashes. 

A NHTSA consent order outlining the requirements for Cruise says the pedestrian was first struck by a hit-and-run vehicle in a lane adjacent to the Cruise vehicle. 

“This first impact with the noncruise vehicle propelled the pedestrian into the path of the Cruise vehicle,” the consent order says. “The Cruise vehicle subsequently braked but was unable to avoid colliding with the pedestrian. As a result of this impact, the pedestrian fell underneath the Cruise vehicle. After initially coming to a stop after this collision, the Cruise vehicle resumed movement, dragging the pedestrian for approximately 20 feet before coming to a final stop.” 

Cruise’s initial report did not describe the behavior of the vehicle after coming to the stop, the order says. It says by doing this, it did not disclose that the Cruise vehicle had dragged the pedestrian. 

A more detailed report filed after 10 days also left out the description of the vehicle after the initial stop, the order says. 

Cruise filed an updated report on Nov. 3 and it is the first time there is mention of the vehicle dragging the pedestrian, according to the order. 

The consent order requires Cruise to pay the fine and submit a corrective action play to improve compliance with the SGO. 

“It is vitally important for companies developing automated driving systems to prioritize safety and transparency from the start,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman in a release. “NHTSA is using its enforcement authority to ensure operators and manufacturers comply with all legal obligations and work to protect all road users.” 

Cruise will be required to report information about the scope of its operation to NHTSA, the release says. This includes the vehicle miles traveled during the reporting period and the number of Cruise vehicles operating without a driver. 

The company also must summarize software updates expected to affect ADS operations and will be required to report citations and observed violations of traffic law. 

A report outlining the framework of Cruise’s assessment of the safety of its operations also is required, the release says. It should include any benchmarks and metrics used to measure the safety of the ADS.  

Cruise and NHTSA will meet quarterly to discuss the state of operations as well as to review the reporting requirements of the consent order.

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