GM’s Cruise Updates Autonomous Driving Software Following Crash

Following a June crash that injured two people, Cruise—the GM-owned self-driving startup—revealed this week that it updated software in 80 autonomous vehicles to reduce the chances of a similar collision happening in the future.

The update rolled out in early July, but was detailed this week in a filing(Opens in a new window) that Cruise submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The June 3 collision involved a driverless Cruise vehicle braking sharply while making an unprotected left turn (UPL) as an oncoming vehicle traveling approximately 40mph in a 25mph zone moved from a right-turn-only lane to travel through the intersection.

“Only one such incident has occurred in over 123,560 driverless UPLs performed prior to the updated software release,” the filing says. The oncoming vehicle was reportedly traveling approximately 40mph in a 25mph right-turn lane when it “suddenly moved out” and “proceeded straight through the intersection,” colliding with the right rear panel of the Cruise.

Following the crash, for which the other vehicle was found “at most fault,” Cruise temporarily disabled UPLs from its fleet and limited the area in which its AVs can operate. Since the July 6 update, however, Cruise has gradually reintroduced UPLs (which allow left turns at a solid green light, rather than the designated green arrow), Reuters reports(Opens in a new window).

The July software update improves the “predictive performance” of Cruise’s Automated Driving Systems, according to the NHTSA. Had the software been in place on June 3, the Cruise car “would have selected a different path that averted the collision,” the filing says.

The update “does not impact or change our current on-road operations,” Cruise tells Reuters. “Cruise AVs are even better equipped to prevent this singular, exceptional event.”

On June 2—one day before the inciting incident—Cruise received California’s first Driverless Deployment Permit, allowing it to charge fees for its service. It was the first company to offer rides without a driver in a major public city.