It wasn’t exactly a Dukes of Hazzard moment, but when an autonomous vehicle took off from an officer during a traffic stop in California, it definitely served as a reminder of the challenges that can come up as law enforcement agencies, autonomous tech developers, fleets and trade groups continue to work together to improve interactions between people and computer-controlled vehicles.
Nearly eight months after the incident, it's still unclear why an autonomous GM Cruise car with no driving attendant made the decision to pull away from a San Francisco cop. Video posted by KTVU shows the car stopped along a city street with a police car behind it. Moments later with the blue lights of the officer’s car still flashing, the Chevy Bolt bolts off.
GM Cruise told KTVU that once the autonomous vehicle pulled away from police, they assumed control of the car and stopped it along the side of the street a short distance from where it had been originally pulled over. A police car can be seen pulling up behind it again in the video.
As Commercial Carrier Journal learned recently at an autonomous Freightliner demonstration held by Daimler subsidiary Torc in Albuquerque, New Mexico, autonomous driving systems are equipped with various backups, or redundancies, to enable safer driving conditions, including interactions with law enforcement.
Like Cruise, Torc’s Mission Control keeps a constant eye on its autonomous trucks and can intervene when necessary. “Law enforcement interaction is a part of our roadmap, and we will be working closely with law enforcement and first responders to develop solutions for effective communication,” said Walter Grigg, program manager of product strategy at Torc. “Our Mission Control product will be a key enabler of law enforcement interaction."
