Self-driving Uber car hits and kills pedestrian

A woman in the American state of Arizona has been hit and killed by a self-driving Uber car, police have confirmed.

According to NBC News  it is the first time an autonomous vehicle has been involved in a pedestrian fatality. Although the car did have an operator behind the wheel, the vehicle was set to an autonomous mode at the time of the deadly incident.

The grey 2017 Volvo XC90 SU was travelling at a speed of 40 miles per hour when it struck 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg as she was crossing the road with her bicycle. Herzberg was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to save her from her severe injuries.

Police from Tempe said the accident was captured on cameras from both inside and outside the car.

“It will definitely assist in our investigation,” Tempe Police Sgt. Ronald Elcock told the media during a press conference on Monday evening, according to NBC.

Driverless cars have been hailed as the way of the future, with Uber, GM, Telsa and technology giant Google all trialling self-aware vehicles on American roads. Several Google driverless cars have already been involved in accidents, although none of them fatal.

Shortly after Monday’s accident, Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshaihi took to Twitter to pay respect to Herzberg.

Some incredibly sad news out of Arizona. We’re thinking of the victim’s family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened. https://t.co/cwTCVJjEuz

— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) March 19, 2018

“Some incredibly sad news out of Arizona,” he tweeted. “We’re thinking of the victim’s family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened.”

While experts have warned against the potential dangers of driverless cars, motor and technology companies have raced to improve safety measures get their vehicles into the market.

Professor Toby Walsh, Research Leader of the Optimisation Research Group at Data61, who previously warned it would only be a matter on time before a driverless car killed someone, said the benefits of driverless cars must outweigh the potential dangers.

“But we must not forget the benefits that come with autonomous cars, which ultimately will be far safer. We must balance this one death against the ten or so people killed every day in the US by human drivers,” he said in a statement to Scimex.

“However, we could and should do more to ensure that the transition to self-driving cars is smoother. For example, there ought to be a central authority like for aircraft accidents that explores reasons for a crash and shares the lessons with all manufacturers and operators. It shouldn’t be a race where no one talks to each other.”

It is understood that Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell was aware Uber was testing driverless cars on the city’s streets. He said in a statement past testing had lead him to believe the cars were safe.

“The City of Tempe has been supportive of autonomous vehicle testing because of the innovation and promise the technology may offer in many areas, including transportation options for disabled residents and seniors,” he said. “Testing must occur safely. All indications we have had in the past show that traffic laws are being obeyed by the companies testing here.

“I support the step that Uber has taken to temporarily suspend testing in Tempe until this event is fully examined and understood. That is a responsible step to take at this time.”

What do you think? Are these driver-less cars a good idea, or is this accident a sign of what’s to come if we let machines and robots take over?