May 23 2019: Watch Cruise’s self-driving cars perform 1,400 unprotected left turns in 24 hours

Back in May 23 2019: Watch Cruise’s self-driving cars perform 1,400 unprotected left turns in 24 hours

Cruise, the self-driving division of General Motors, has focused on perfecting unprotected left turns, which they consider to be one of the most difficult maneuvers for self-driving cars. Their self-driving cars execute 1,400 unprotected lefts every day in San Francisco to generate data for their engineers.

Left turns are challenging because they require self-driving cars to be both cautious and assertive at the same time. Cruise's rival, Waymo, also faces difficulties with left turns. Cruise has developed an algorithm to determine how far it can "creep" into intersections before making a left turn, but there is still much work to do.

Fast forward to Oct 28 2023: How a robotaxi crash got Cruise’s self-driving cars pulled from Californian roads

California regulators are reevaluating self-driving cars after a pedestrian was critically injured in a crash involving a Cruise vehicle. Two months prior to the incident, regulators had given Cruise permission to operate its robotaxi service. Following the crash, Cruise has suspended all driverless operations to regain public trust.

The incident has raised questions about the readiness of self-driving cars and has prompted experts to encourage other states to reconsider their stance on autonomous vehicles. The fragmented oversight of the self-driving car industry in California has also come into focus, as multiple companies have permits to test their vehicles in the state.

Are self-driving cars truly ready for the road, or do the recent incidents involving Cruise's driverless cars indicate a need for further regulation and evaluation of this emerging technology?