Pedestrian Killed By Self-Driving Uber Vehicle

Uber reports that a vehicle operating in self-driving mode has struck and killed a pedestrian. The facts that we know at this time are limited, but we do know that a human operator was inside the vehicle at the time the female pedestrian was struck. Reports also indicate that the pedestrian was not in a marked crosswalk and that the accident happened at night. The pedestrian is identified as a 49-year-old female. Torque News has opted not to name the victim.

AZFamily.com is reporting that the NTSB is sending an accident review team to Arizona to investigate the accident. The outlet also reports that the Uber vehicle was not transporting a passenger at the time of the accident.

Uber Comms, Uber's PR page on Twitter posted, "Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We’re fully cooperating with @TempePolice and local authorities as they investigate this incident."

Almost exactly one year ago, Uber suspended its self-driving testing in Arizona following a crash (see video). Self-driving crashes have happened in a number of situations, perhaps the most well-known was the accident in which a Tesla Model S being operated in Autopilot hit the broad side of a tractor-trailer, killing the Tesla occupant.

During its maiden trip, a self-driving shuttle crashed into a slow-moving truck that was attempting to back into an alley.

Torque News will expand our coverage following the release of more facts about this tragic accident.

Top of page image courtesy of Uber Media image files.