UPDATED 00:12 EDT / MARCH 22 2018

APPS

Video of Uber autonomous car that killed woman shows it didn’t slow down, driver distracted

Video footage has been released of a crash that took place last weekend when one of Uber Technologies Inc.’s self-driving cars killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona, as she was walking her bicycle across the street. And it isn’t pretty.

The death of the 49-year-old woman, Elaine Herzberg, has raised questions concerning the safety of self-driving cars. This was the first fatality that involved someone outside a self-driving car when the car was in full autonomous mode.

The video shows the woman suddenly being seen by the car’s headlights, seemingly giving it only a little or no time to apply the brakes. The video footage inside the car shows the safety driver momentarily looking down, and on looking up being startled by the impending crash.

Tempe police, along with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are currently investigating the crash. Uber is also part of the investigation, which will determine who was at fault.

“The video is disturbing and heartbreaking to watch, and our thoughts continue to be with Elaine’s loved ones,” an Uber spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our cars remain grounded, and we’re assisting local, state and federal authorities in any way we can.”

Tina Marie Herzberg White, a stepdaughter of the victim, told the Guardian this week, “It’s just awful. There should be a criminal case.”

What remains to be seen is if the safety driver, 44-year-old Rafaela Vasquez, is at fault for not keeping her eyes on the road. Are safety drivers expected to surveil the road at all times?

It’s evident that the victim crossed the road at an unlit part of the street, and it will have to be determined if the safety driver could have applied the brakes in time had she been more focused. Questions will also have to be asked about the car’s sensors and why they didn’t spot the pedestrian in time, or if there was a problem with the sensors and the brakes.

Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir told the San Francisco Chronicle that is was “clear it would have been difficult to avoid this collision in any kind of mode (autonomous or human-driven) based on how she came from the shadows right into the roadway.”

She said that illuminated crosswalks are available in the area, and that “it appears that the Uber would likely not be at fault in this accident,” but she added, “I won’t rule out the potential to file charges against the (backup driver) in the Uber vehicle.”

Here’s the video, but beware, it might be upsetting:

Image: Tempe police/Twitter

A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU