Investigation Comes After Company Requests Exemption from Federal Safety Standards

(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters commend the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for launching a safety investigation into General Motors’ (GM) autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise.

The agency’s investigation focuses on two recent incidents involving Cruise’s autonomous vehicles (AVs) that left pedestrians injured and requiring hospital care.

“The Teamsters applaud NHTSA for investigating Cruise, a company that is putting public safety at risk,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “GM’s attempt to push these vehicles onto public roads is a threat to the safety of pedestrians and motorists everywhere.”

Cruise operates a fleet of nearly 600 driverless cars, and its safety problems are well documented. In San Francisco, Cruise robotaxis collided with fire trucks and were implicated in the death of a pedestrian after blocking an ambulance that was transporting a patient to the hospital. The self-driving cars impede union members on the job by getting stuck in concrete and blocking waste trucks. In Austin, residents report dangerous encounters with self-driving vehicles. 

In spite of its abysmal safety record, Cruise took out a full-page ad in the New York Times claiming that “humans are terrible drivers.” Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt also advocated for banning human drivers in cities. The company is also asking NHTSA to exempt its Origin model—which cannot be operated by a human driver—from federal motor vehicle safety standards.

The Teamsters are urging regulators take action to address the safety and workforce impacts of AVs in California and around the country. In addition to advocacy at the state and local level, the union released a policy framework in September, Autonomous Vehicle Federal Policy Principles, which lays out steps that the federal government must take to protect motorists and workers from the growing threat of AVs.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org to learn more and follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via email