GM Super-Cruise Feature Raises Concerns From Regulators

U.S. highway safety regulators raised concerns over General Motors Co.'s plan to halt semiautonomous vehicles with unresponsive motorists, the latest push from government officials to police the development of self-driving cars.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urged the Detroit auto maker to ensure safety for a forthcoming "Super Cruise" system feature that will slowly bring vehicles to a stop when motorists fail to retake control of the wheel, according to a letter from the agency to GM disclosed on Monday.

"We note that GM indicates that when the driver is unable or unwilling to take control of the vehicle the system will bring the vehicle to a stop 'in or near the roadway,'" wrote NHTSA Chief Counsel Paul Hemmersbaugh in the Nov. 18 letter to GM.

"We urge GM to fully consider the likely operation of the system it is contemplating and ensure that this fallback solution does not present an unreasonable risk to safety," Mr. Hemmersbaugh wrote.

The letter included a footnote emphasizing that federal law requires recalls for vehicles with safety defects that pose unreasonable risks for accidents or deaths and injuries in crashes.

A GM spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. GM's system, previously set to debut on a Cadillac car this year, has been delayed until 2017.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 28, 2016 16:25 ET (21:25 GMT)

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