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Cruise, the self-driving subsidiary of General Motors, has agreed to pay a $112,500 fine for failing to provide full information about an accident involving one of its robotaxis last year. The settlement<\/a> with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) not only avoids litigation, it puts Cruise in a position to restart operations in the state.<\/p>\n The settlement agreement \u201cbring[s] this dispute to a close\u201d allowing the Commission staff to \u201cdevote their resources to Cruise\u2019s regulatory oversight rather than engage in potentially protracted litigation,\u201d reads the ruling. In an emailed statement, Cruise said the company is \u201cgratified\u201d to have reached a settlement, noting that the company has taken \u201cimportant steps to improve our leadership, processes and culture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Cruise received backlash in October 2023 after a Cruise robotaxi ran over a pedestrian<\/a> that had been flung into its path after being hit by a human-driven vehicle. The robotaxi then dragged the pedestrian 20 feet as it was attempting a pullover maneuver, a fact that Cruise staff didn\u2019t immediately share with the CPUC and other state and federal regulators when they probed the company. That withholding of information resulted in both the CPUC<\/a> and the California Department of Motor Vehicles pulling Cruise\u2019s permits<\/a> to operate driverless vehicles in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since then, Cruise has implemented a series of \u201ccorrective measures\u201d that seem to have satisfied many of the CPUC\u2019s concerns about the company\u2019s continued autonomous vehicle operations. The agency\u2019s ruling points to actions Cruise has taken, including retaining law firm Quinn Emanuel<\/a> to conduct an internal investigation of Cruise\u2019s operational structure, creating a more transparent corporate operation and instigating the departure of personnel like former CEO Kyle Vogt<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Commission noted that Cruise has taken responsibility for its past failures and promises to be more transparent with the agency in the future. Cruise also appears to be getting brownie points for seeking to \u201cresolve this dispute expeditiously,\u201d rather than letting the matter go through the expensive and time-consuming slog of decisions, appeals and rehearings.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe conclude that by taking these corrective measures, Cruise is on its way to restoring public trust by making itself a more transparent and cooperative entity that will not hide material information from regulatory agencies who oversee its AV transportation services,\u201d reads the ruling.<\/p>\n As part of the agreement, Cruise is also required to regularly share incident information with the CPUC. This includes increased collision reporting as well as monthly reports on incidents involving stopped AVs that must be physically retrieved from the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before the infamous October 2 incident, Cruise had also been criticized by members of the public, politicians and law enforcement agencies because its robotaxis had a bad habit of malfunctioning in the middle of traffic<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cruise has been slowly making its way back onto public roads in other states that have less regulatory red tape. Since April, the AV company has deployed small fleets with human safety operators behind the wheel in Phoenix<\/a>, Houston<\/a> and Dallas<\/a> to map and restart testing.\u00a0<\/p>\n