An autonomous Uber struck and killed a pedestrian woman yesterday in Tempe, Arizona. According to NPR, this incident could be the first recorded death of a pedestrian involving a self-driving vehicle.
The woman has not been publicly identified.
In a statement to the New York Times, Tempe Police explained that the Uber was in self-driving mode, with a human safety-driver at the wheel, when it struck the woman, who was crossing the street outside of a crosswalk.
The woman was immediately taken to a local hospital where she subsequently passed away from her injuries from the accident.
Uber has since suspended all of its self-driving operations in Pittsburgh, Tempe, San Francisco, and Toronto as a result of the crash.
Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi expressed his condolences for the victim and the victim’s family:
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
Arizona, and some other states already allow self-driving cars to operate on their roadways, without a driver behind the wheel; however, this crash will more than likely raise a few eye-brows about the regulations and practicality for self-driving vehicles on the streets in the near future.