Self-driving Uber car hits, kills pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz., Sunday night
Uber immediately paused self-driving operations in four cities in US and Canada
Uber vehicle struck Elaine Herzberg, who reportedly was walking her bicycle across the crosswalk was struck, police says the vehicle was in autonomo
Herzberg, 49, died in hospital shortly after, from her injuries
Uber began testing its fleet of self-driving Volvo cars in Tempe in February 2017, after they were banned from California roads amid safety concerns
A month later, one of the self-driving cars was involved in a crash after another road user failed to yield to the Uber vehicle and hit the self-driving SUV which rolled onto its side, but no serious injuries were reported in that crash
The Uber Self-drive vehicle killed a female pedestrian attempting to cross the road
Police in Arizona police are investigating a deadly crash involving a self-driving Uber vehicle around 10 p.m. Sunday night.
The Uber vehicle was reportedly headed northbound when a woman walking outside of the crosswalk was struck.as she walked her bicycle across a street in Tempe,
The woman, identified as 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
Tempe Police says the vehicle was in autonomous mode at the time of the crash and a vehicle operator was also behind the wheel of the Volvo XC90 self-driven
SUV. No passengers were in the vehicle at the time.
An Uber spokesperson told ABC15 they are aware of the incident and are cooperating with authorities.
They released the following statement: “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.”
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, ]right], and the Board ceased self-driving operations in US and Canadian cities immediately
Khosrowshahi also acknowledged the incident on Twitter:
Uber has paused self-driving operations in Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto, which is a standard move, the company says.
The police investigation is still active, and the National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB], also tweeted, Monday that they will be sending investigators to Tempe.
Uber began testing self-driving cars in Tempe in February 2017.
The fleet of self-driving Volvos arrived in Arizona after they were banned from California roads over safety concerns. Gov. Doug Ducey touted Arizona as a testing ground, saying at the time in a written statement, “Arizona welcomes Uber self-driving cars with open arms and wide open roads.”
One of the self-driving cars was involved in a crash in March, 2017, a month later. A car failed to yield to the Uber vehicle and hit it, authorities said. The self-driving SUV rolled onto its side as a result crash.
There were no serious injuries were reported in that crash.
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