Self-driving shuttle company adds seatbelts in order to resume US operations
Image: City of Columbus, OH
French self-driving vehicle company EasyMile will add seatbelts to its shuttles in order to be able to once again carry passengers in the US. EasyMile’s shuttles were suspended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in late February after an incident where a passenger fell out of her seat during a sudden stop in Columbus, Ohio.
EasyMile’s shuttles, which operate on a trial basis in about a dozen US cities, will also feature more signage and audio announcements that warn passengers about the possibility of sudden stops, and the company says it will train the safety operators on the shuttles to “remind passengers to hold on with feet firmly on the floor” while they are in motion. These “corrective actions” are the...