A woman has died after being hit by a self-driving
Uber car, the first such accident of its kind
involving the emerging technology.
The tragedy happened in Tempe, Arizona, where
Uber is testing the cars for possible nationwide
use.
According to reports, the woman was crossing
the road when she was struck by the car. A
bicycle was also seen at the scene, crumpled
from being hit. It appears the woman had been
riding the bicycle, but may have been walking
it across the street at the time of the accident.
This, however, has not been confirmed.
Reuters reports on the incident.
A woman crossing a street was killed by an
Uber self-driving sport utility vehicle in
Arizona, police said on Monday, prompting
the ride services company to suspend its autonomous
vehicle program.
The accident in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe
dealt a potential blow not only to Uber’s
strategy but the eventual rollout of robot
cars on public roads.
It was the first fatality from a self-driving
vehicle, which are being tested around the
globe in a high-profile race by global automakers
and tech companies expecting that autonomous
vehicles will transform transportation and
the ride services business.
The vehicle was in autonomous mode with an
operator behind the wheel at the time of the
accident, which occurred overnight Sunday
to Monday, Tempe police said.
“The vehicle was traveling northbound … when
a female walking outside of the crosswalk
crossed the road from west to east when she
was struck by the Uber vehicle,” police
said in a statement.
Police identified the victim as Elaine Herzberg,
49. Herzberg later died from her injuries
in a hospital, police said.
Local television footage of the scene showed
a crumpled bike and a Volvo XC90 SUV with
a smashed-in front.
Tempe is 11 miles (18 km) east of Phoenix.
An Uber Technologies Inc spokesman said the
company was suspending North American tests
of its self-driving vehicles. In a tweet,
Uber expressed its condolences and said the
San Francisco-based company was fully cooperating
with authorities.
