August 17, 2023
A fleet of Cruise self-driving cars stalled in San Francisco, causing a traffic jam and raising safety concerns about the technology.
Videos posted on social media showed at least 10 Cruise cars stopped in the city’s North Beach neighborhood, with their hazard lights blinking. The cars were reportedly blocking traffic for about 15 or 20 minutes.
Cruise said that the cars stalled due to “wireless bandwidth constraints” caused by a large festival in Golden Gate Park. The company said that it is investigating the incident and working to prevent it from happening again.
The incident has sparked criticism from some local residents and groups who worry about the safety of self-driving cars. Aaron Peskin, who sits on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing North Beach, said that the incident “puts people in danger” and “creates traffic chaos.”
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved Cruise and Waymo to offer fare-charging driverless rides in San Francisco just one day before the incident. The CPUC said that it believes in the potential of self-driving cars to increase safety on the road, but noted that collaboration between key stakeholders in the industry and the first responder community is “vital.”
The sources for this piece include an article in BusinessInsider.
