Mexican Media Brands
NTSB Confirms Uber Self-Driving System Failure in Fatal Crash
The autonomous driving system in an Uber test car failed to identify a pedestrian or brake to avoid striking and killing her in Arizona two months ago, says the National Transportation Safety Board.
#regulations
Share
The autonomous driving system in an Uber test car failed to identify a pedestrian or brake to avoid striking and killing her in Arizona two months ago, says the National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash in Tempe resulted in the first fatality involving a fully automated vehicle. NTSB says the test car’s system detected the pedestrian, who was walking her bicycle across a four-lane road at night, six seconds before impact. But it couldn’t decide whether she was an unknown object, vehicle or bicycle.
The system concluded 1.3 seconds before impact that emergency braking was needed. But Uber had switched off that feature to reduce the possibility of “erratic vehicle behavior,” according to Reuters.
NTSB says the system also did not alert the safety operator sitting behind the wheel of the Uber test car because it wasn’t designed to do so. She had been looking down rather than at the road ahead until just before the crash. The safety board says the operator engaged the steering wheel less than one second before impact and began braking less than one second after impact.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Carmakers Ask 10 States to Help Bolster EV Sales
Carmakers are asking for more support for electric cars from states that support California’s zero-emission-vehicle goals, Automotive News reports.
-
China Targets 7 Million Annual NEV Sales by 2025
The Chinese government is targeting annual sales of electric and plug-in cars at 7 million units by 2025—nine times last year’s volume.
-
BMW Granted License to Test Self-Driving Cars in Shanghai
BMW AG has become the first foreign carmaker to win permission to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in China, according to the Shanghai Daily.
