The incident sounds relatively minor, but we have reports today, via mandatory DMV reporting, of a collision between a self-driving car and a bicyclist on the streets of San Francisco in May which resulted in the bicyclist suffering minor injuries.
As KRON 4 reports, the incident happened on May 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of 11th and Mission.
The car was an autonomous 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV with one operator/passenger inside, and it was making a left turn from the northbound lanes of 11th Street onto Mission. Per CBS 5, "When a vehicle in the inner turn lane began to cut in front of the Bolt, it braked, causing a bicyclist who had been crossing closely behind to ride into the rear of the vehicle."
The Bolt was reportedly minorly dinged up, and the bicycle was undamaged, according to the DMV report. The bicyclist suffered a scraped knee and said s/he may seek medical attention, but no ambulance was called to the scene.
This wasn't one of Waymo's or Uber's self-driving cars, because we know they've been testing other car models. KRON 4 notes that General Motors' self-driving car project uses Chevy Bolt EVs, and that the cars have been involved in the three other minor collisions this year, including one that resulted in a minor injury.
So far, the California DMV requires all self-driving cars to have human operators inside, in case of emergencies. Earlier this year, though, likely under pressure from companies like Google/Waymo who are developing cars that don't even have breaks or steering wheels inside the DMV began suggesting that they would rewrite the rules to allow autonomous vehicles to eventually operate without drivers.
Related: Newly Proposed CA DMV Rules Would Let Self-Driving Cars Hit The Roads Without Humans