Self-driving Uber grounded after first ever pedestrian death in Arizona

Ismail Akwei March 20, 2018
Uber autonomous SUV

Uber has suspended its self-driving experiments in Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto after a woman was killed by a self-driving Uber vehicle in Tempe, Arizona.

Tempe police said on Monday that the vehicle was driving in autonomous mode with a human driver at the wheel when it hit the woman who was crossing the street late Sunday night.

The grey 2017 Volvo XC90 SUV was travelling at about 40 miles per hour at the time of the accident. The victim identified by police as 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg was walking her bicycle when she was struck.

The driver who was not controlling the vehicle was identified as 44-year-old Rafael Vasquez. The police said the cameras installed inside and outside the vehicles recorded the whole incident and it will be used during the investigation.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We’re fully cooperating with @TempePolice and local authorities as they investigate this incident,” Uber said in a tweet.

This incident is believed to be the first pedestrian fatality attributed to a self-driving vehicle.

Last Edited by:Ismail Akwei Updated: March 20, 2018

Conversations

Must Read

Connect with us

Join our Mailing List to Receive Updates