On Sunday night, one of Uber’s self-driving cars struck a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, killing her. The woman, who remains unidentified, was walking across the road outside of the crosswalk, according to a local report.
The incident is the first time a self-driving car has killed someone. The Tempe Police Department has issued the following statement:
“We wanted to provide an update to the Uber accident that occurred overnight on Mill Ave. just south of Curry Rd. The vehicle involved is one of Uber’s self-driving vehicles. It was in autonomous mode at the time of the collision, with a vehicle operator behind the wheel. The vehicle was traveling northbound just south of Curry Rd. when a female walking outside of the crosswalk crossed the road from west to east when she was struck by the Uber vehicle. She was transported to a local area hospital where she passed away from her injuries. Her next of kin has not been notified yet so her name is not being released at this time. Uber is assisting and this is still an active investigation.”
Uber is pausing its self-driving car tests in Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto, the company says. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted the below statement in the wake of the accident.
Some incredibly sad news out of Arizona. We’re thinking of the victim’s family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened. https://t.co/cwTCVJjEuz
— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) March 19, 2018
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