Uber started testing its self-driving, or autonomous, car in February 2017. The testing was staged in the cities of Arizona, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto. Arizona had originally been welcomed by the Arizona governor, but things have drastically changed since a fatal accident on March 18th in Tempe. The pedestrian, 49- year old Elaine Herzberg, was killed when she was hit while she was riding her bicycle at night. The self-driving car was traveling at about 40mph and did not slow down after the accident.
Because of the accident, Governor Ducey has sent a letter to Uber, asking the company to stop its testing of autonomous vehicles in Arizona. The governor has told the Department of Transportation in Arizona to suspend Uber’s rights to perform these road tests in the state. Uber claims that they had already stopped testing in all cities after the tragic accident. They are currently under investigation with the National Transportation Board and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It remains to be seen what Uber will do next, but their competitors are not remaining silent, suggesting that their technology could have helped in averting the accident.
