A driverless Uber car struck and killed a woman pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, marking the world's first fatality caused by a autonomous vehicle.
The accident revealed today the company itself Uber, and the accident took place while the car was in autonomous (self-driving) mode mode. The local TV station ABC15 reported that the victim was 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. The Uber vehicle hit Herzberg while she was crossing the road outside the pedestrian crossing.
The woman was transported by ambulance to a hospital, but succumbed to her injuries. The vehicle that caused the accident was a Volvo XC90 SUV. The National Transport Safety Council said on Twitter that he sent a team to investigate the accident.
The company suspended it program automatic driving and pulled all self-driving cars off US roads.
For the record, the company launched its research program in 2015 and developed cars on the streets of Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto. Just two weeks ago, the company reported that self-propelled trucks were successfully transporting their cargo.
Tempe and Arizona recently entered the list of test trips with autonomous driving due to state laws that allowed autonomous cars on city roads. Uber started testing such cars in Tempe in February 2017. Google's corresponding car has been operating in the state for years. Uber is also testing its self-propelled truck on the streets of Arizona.
So far, all road accidents concerning autonomous cars were small, which have been caused mainly by other drivers.
