Uber Halts Autonomous-Car Testing After Fatal Arizona Crash

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A self-driving car from Uber Technologies Inc. hit and killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona, on Sunday evening, what is likely the first pedestrian fatality involving a driverless vehicle. In response, Uber quickly halted its self-driving cars as the incident is investigated.

The woman was crossing the road when the Uber vehicle, operating in autonomous mode, struck her, according to the Tempe Police Department. She was transferred to a local hospital where she died from her injuries. "Uber is assisting and this is still an active investigation," Liliana Duran, a spokeswoman from the Tempe police, said in an emailed statement.

Uber said on Monday that it was pausing tests of all its autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toronto and the greater Phoenix area. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family," a company spokeswoman said in a statement. "We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident."

As many self-driving cars have begun to roll out in pilot programs around the world, the chance of a pedestrian death has become more likely. Experts have long worried about the impact deadly crashes could have on the industry.

"We’re within the phase of autonomous vehicles where we’re still learning how good they are. Whenever you release a new technology there’s a whole bunch of unanticipated situations," said Arun Sundararajan, a professor at New York University’s business school. "Despite the fact that humans are also prone to error, we have as a society many decades of understanding of those errors."

Drivers relying on Tesla Inc.’s Autopilot technology have been involved in fatal car crashes. Uber has had minor incidents in the past. A self-driving Uber car ran a red light in San Francisco while the company operated in the city without regulatory approval. The California Department of Motor Vehicles eventually forced Uber to pull the cars from the road.

The National Transportation Safety Board is opening an investigation into the death and is sending a small team of investigators to Tempe, spokesman Eric Weiss said.

The NTSB opens relatively few highway accident investigations each year, but has been closely following incidents involving autonomous or partially autonomous vehicles. Last year, it partially faulted Tesla Autopilot system for a fatal crash in Florida in 2016.

Maximum Uberdrive

Cease this nonsense right now.

The computer will be found at fault? Oh well dear citizen, we'll reprogram it it and it'll be swell. Sorry about your mom.

It's being reported that two passengers in the back seat of the Uber swear they heard the car mutter, "Kill all humans" just before impact.

There was a human behind the wheel to be a fail safe. Interesting that he/she wasn't able to react in time to avoid the accident either.

With all of the cameras and other tech, there will be ample data on what went wrong and what caused this.

It could have been mathematically impossible to avoid. Obviously we don't know, I'm just saying, let's not assume the car failed. If someone looking at their phone isn't paying attention and steps out into the street from behind an SUV... you see my point.

We simply don't know what caused it, so jumping to conclusions doesn't make sense.

the fact that someone was behind the wheel means that person is responsible

self-driving cars are a stupid idea

if you're smart enough to buy a car, you should be smart enough to drive it

or use the bus

A top of the hour radio news break reported that the pedestrian who was killed was walking outside a cross walk.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:

if you're smart enough to buy a car, you should be smart enough to drive it

The problem is that of course we know that statement just isn't true.

At first I didn't like the idea of self-driving cars but then I remembered that humans are pretty terrible drivers too. At least a self driving car should be predictable, and as a defensive driver I can handle predictable. I don't have to worry about a computer coming to a sudden halt in the middle of the road for a rabbit or because they want to be "nice" and let someone pull out of a parking lot. I don't have to worry about a computer forgetting that blinking yellow lights don't mean stop and that blinking red ones do. I don't have to worry about a computer not using its turn signal or fucking up the rotation at a four way stop or getting hammered and swerving home at 90.

I don't really ever want to have a computer drive my car but I'm all for letting one drive for most of the assholes I see on a daily basis. They aren't going to be perfect and accidents will still happen but accidents happen now and I'm willing to bet that the streets will be safer with a lot of morons not touching a thing.

quote:

Experts have long worried about the impact deadly crashes could have on the industry.

What is this supposed to mean?

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:

quote:

Experts have long worried about the impact deadly crashes could have on the industry.

What is this supposed to mean?

I hope it is because not only will the computer be found responsible but so will the developers, salesmen, and financiers of this nonsense.

Yep - it means a few deaths will slow down their dream of implementing this ASAP.

<vehicle voice> "Michael, there is someone in the road...."

I do think driverless cars will be a reality one day, but I feel they are trying to rush the technology at this time. I think the computers used for this type of application will have to be very sophisicated and many, many years of extensive testing will be needed before this technology is ready for prime time.

quote:

Originally posted by Angus the Kid:
I do think driverless cars will be a reality one day, but I feel they are trying to rush the technology at this time. I think the computers used for this type of application will have to be very sophisicated and many, many years of extensive testing will be needed before this technology is ready for prime time.

Which is why they'll try to push it through before it's ready. The investors probably subscribe to the adage "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs".

In my dispationate voice:

Accidents will happen as the technology is developed. It's the nature of an advancing society.

How many people died in helpcopter trial and error tests, test pilots, astronauts and anything else that isn't just sitting at home on the couch?

Autonomous cars will be the reality sooner than later and erros and deaths will happen. Pedestrians are killed everyday when someone is talking on their phone and walks into the street, people walk between cars to cut without using a crosswalk and anything else.

My not happy that the pedestrian died but I won't rag on the technology which may not even be at fault in this circumstance.

Embrace the technology and AI too because whether you do or don't, it's coming and unless you're up there in years, it will be in your lifetime.

Just a software bug. They have fixed it already. Nothing to worry about. [/Sarc]

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
There was a human behind the wheel to be a fail safe. Interesting that he/she wasn't able to react in time to avoid the accident either.

With all of the cameras and other tech, there will be ample data on what went wrong and what caused this.

It could have been mathematically impossible to avoid. Obviously we don't know, I'm just saying, let's not assume the car failed. If someone looking at their phone isn't paying attention and steps out into the street from behind an SUV... you see my point.

We simply don't know what caused it, so jumping to conclusions doesn't make sense.

I agree. And as Modern Day Savage pointed out, the reports are that the pedestrian was not in a cross walk. If someone steps out in front of a moving vehicle, it may not be possible to avoid them no matter who or what is driving. Until we know more, it's way too early to jump to the conclusion that this could have been avoided if a person was driving instead of a computer.

Though I will not trust computer driven cars until much more real world validation is satisfactory, there are always people doing stupid things on the road too: e.g. Saturday near my home

https://flaglerlive.com/119372...-plows-bikers-u-s-1/

quote:

Originally posted by Flashlightboy:
How many people died in helpcopter trial and error tests, test pilots, astronauts?

A pedestrian is not an astronaut or test pilot.

In other news, scientists are nearing compleation of an imbecile unable to successfully pilot a driverless car.

Efforts to make smartphones unable to work while in moving vehicles have once again failed.

Experts say it might take billions of dollars to solve the problems involved in a phone based solution, primarily directed at political graft.