Self-driving Uber car kills Arizona woman crossing street

The car was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel
  • Reuters (Computerworld)
  • 20 March, 2018 08:45

An Uber self-driving car has hit and killed a woman crossing the street in Arizona, marking the first fatality caused by an autonomous vehicle and a potential blow to the technology expected to transform transportation.





Elaine Herzberg, 49, was walking outside the crosswalk on a four-lane road in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe about 10 p.m. MST Sunday (0400 GMT Monday) when she was struck by the Uber vehicle, police said. The car was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel.


Local television footage of the scene showed a crumpled bike and a Volvo XC90 SUV with a smashed-in front. It was unknown whether Herzberg was on foot or on a bike.


U.S. federal safety regulators were sending teams to investigate the crash. Canada's transportation ministry in Ontario, where Uber conducts testing, also said it was reviewing the accident.

Wild west







Essential to Uber's success




Uber has weathered a series of crises, including sexual harassment claims, using a tracking tool to avoid government officials, and a lawsuit brought by competitor Waymo alleging theft of self-driving trade secrets. Uber settled that lawsuit last month for US$245 million.

That settlement was largely seen as a means for Uber to resume work on autonomous cars without the distraction of litigation, as it hustles to catch up with Waymo, widely seen as having the most advanced cars in the industry.
