The collision logic that chose to keep moving
A driverless Cruise vehicle pulled a pedestrian forward after contact; Cruise paused its driverless fleet 24 days later and recalled the collision-detection software installed on 950 automated-driving systems.
When perception is uncertain after a collision, the minimum-risk fallback must prevent additional motion. Test rare, high-severity scenarios in simulation, constrain uncertain classifications from authorizing irreversible actuation, and evaluate the complete perception-to-action chain. Cruise's remedy would have kept the vehicle stationary.
A human-driven vehicle struck a pedestrian and propelled the person onto the ground directly in the autonomous vehicle's path, forcing an unusual post-collision decision.
The Cruise vehicle braked aggressively but still made contact. Its subsystem chose between pulling over and remaining stationary using perceived actors, impact location, and severity; it mischaracterized this as a lateral collision and commanded a pullover while the pedestrian was low beneath its path. Cruise then used historical driving data and simulation to test recurrence.
When the system is uncertain after a collision, keep the vehicle stopped. Prove safer behavior in simulation before returning it to service.
