Uber’s fatal self-driving crash: all the news and updates – The Verge

Uber driver in first-ever deadly self-driving crash pleads guilty

2023-07-31T15:48:19-04:00

The backup driver in the self-driving Uber vehicle that killed a 49-year-old woman in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018 pled guilty to one count of endangerment and was sentenced to three years' probation on Friday.

Rafaela Vasquez worked as a safety driver for Uber's autonomous vehicle test program in Arizona. She was behind the steering wheel when her vehicle ran over Elaine Herzberg, who was pushing a bicycle across the street. The crash, which happened on March 18th, 2018, is believed to be the first fatal collision involving a self-driving car.

Prosecutors described Vasquez as "the eyes and ears" of the vehicle, which was operating in autonomou …

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Uber backup driver charged in fatal 2018 self-driving car crash

2020-09-16T05:00:00-04:00

The backup safety driver who was behind the wheel when one of Uber's self-driving cars struck and killed a pedestrian in 2018 has been charged with negligent homicide, the New York Times reports. Rafaela Vasquez, who investigators say was watching an episode of The Voice at the time of the crash, has pleaded not guilty.

The crash, which happened on March 18th, 2018 and resulted in the death of Elaine Herzberg, is believed to be the first fatal collision involving a self-driving car. Investigators have said the car saw Herzberg, but did not automatically stop, and that Vasquez did not brake until it was too late. The case has raised importa …

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Uber is at fault for fatal self-driving crash, but it’s not alone

2019-11-19T16:46:13-05:00

Federal investigators split the blame for the fatal Uber self-driving crash between the ride-hailing company, the safety driver in the vehicle, the victim, and the state of Arizona in a blistering official report that also took the federal government to task for failing to properly regulate the industry.

In a hearing of the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, DC on November 19th, the three-member panel heard from a team of investigators who had been sifting through the details of the crash for over a year now. At the end of the two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the board issued its determination of probable cause in the event tha …

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Serious safety lapses led to Uber’s fatal self-driving crash, new documents suggest

2019-11-06T11:45:45-05:00

Uber did not have a formal safety plan in place at the time when one of its self-driving cars killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona, last year, according to a trove of new documents released by the National Traffic Safety Board on Tuesday. Its autonomous vehicles were not programmed to react to people who were jaywalking, and the company had been involved in over three dozen crashes prior to the one that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg in March 2018.

These new details cast a harsh light on Uber's self-driving vehicle program, which has tentatively restarted testing after shutting down in the wake of the March 18th crash. And they set the stag …

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Uber won’t be charged with fatal self-driving crash, says prosecutor

2019-03-05T19:55:33-05:00

Who is criminally liable when a self-driving car fatally strikes a pedestrian? Not the company that built and tested the car - at least not when it comes to Uber's fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona last March, which killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg.

Uber won't be charged with a crime, according to a letter, first reported on by Quartz, from Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, the prosecutor who was temporarily in charge of the case. "After a very thorough review of all the evidence presented, this Office has determined that there is no basis for criminal liability for the Uber corporation arising from this matter," reads the document.

Origi …

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Uber’s self-driving cars return to public roads for the first time since fatal crash

2018-12-20T08:00:02-05:00

Uber officially resumed testing its self-driving cars on public roads Thursday, nine months after one of its vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The company received a letter from Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation authorizing it to restart its program, albeit in a highly scaled back fashion.

For the time being, Uber's self-driving Volvo SUVs will be confined to a one-mile loop around Pittsburgh's Strip District, where the company's Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) is headquartered. Only two vehicles are being tested for now, though more will be added. The cars won't exceed the posted speed limit of 25 mph, …

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Uber approved to restart self-driving tests in Pennsylvania

2018-12-18T16:36:56-05:00

Uber has been given the green light by Pennsylvania officials to restart its self-driving car tests on public roads. The program was shut down last March after a self-driving Uber vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The crash was the first death attributed to a self-driving car, and it was seen as a significant setback for the industry, which is racing to get autonomous vehicles into commercial use.

Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation approved Uber's request to start testing autonomously in Pittsburgh, where its Advanced Technologies Group is headquartered, according to The Information. The news comes a few day …

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Uber manager raised concerns about self-driving program just days before fatal collision

2018-12-11T10:11:57-05:00

An 890-word email was sent to Uber's executives that raised safety concerns about the company's autonomous vehicle program just days before an Uber vehicle killed a pedestrian in Arizona last March. The email was sent to the head of Uber's autonomous vehicle division and other top executives and lawyers by a manager in the group. It was made public by The Information, which validated the assertions through interviews with current and former employees. The email complained about near misses that frequently weren't investigated properly or even ignore, and about backup drivers who lacked proper training and vetting.

The email from Robbie Mill …

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Uber seeks permission to resume self-driving car testing on public roads

2018-11-02T15:14:11-04:00

Uber is seeking permission from the state of Pennsylvania to resume testing its self-driving cars on public roads more than seven months after a fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona.

The ride-hailing company released its voluntary safety report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday, becoming the sixth company to do so. In it, Uber commits to resuming testing with two employees in each autonomous vehicle, enabling automatic braking, and strictly monitoring safety drivers. The company said it now has real-time third-party monitoring of backup safety drivers, sets limits on the amount of time drivers can work per day, and …

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Uber’s self-driving cars are back on public roads, but under human control

2018-07-24T15:21:40-04:00

Uber's self-driving cars are back on public roads in Pittsburgh this week, four months after a fatal crash prompted the company to shut down its testing program in North America. For now, the vehicles will not be driven in autonomous mode, but instead will be manually operated by human safety drivers while Uber continues its "top-to-bottom" review of its self-driving program.

The company's fleet of Volvo XC90 SUVs have been gathering dust since March, when a self-driving Uber car struck and killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg while she was crossing the street in Tempe, Arizona. Uber immediately grounded its fleet as federal investigators beg …

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