Uber Pauses All Self-Driving Tests After Fatal Arizona Pedestrian Crash
Uber suspends its autonomous vehicle testing across all cities following the first known pedestrian fatality involving a self-driving car. Multiple federal and state agencies are actively investigating the tragic incident in Tempe, Arizona.
Uber temporarily halts all self-driving car tests in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and Toronto after one of its autonomous vehicles strikes and kills a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. This incident marks the first publicly known pedestrian fatality caused by a self-driving car, prompting the company to pause its entire testing program while authorities investigate.
A safety operator sits inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, though no passengers are present. The National Transportation Safety Board, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Arizona governor's office all launch investigations into the late-night accident to determine exactly how the autonomous technology fails to prevent the tragedy.
This fatal crash adds to a series of setbacks for Uber's self-driving division, which previously suspended testing after a non-fatal crash in Arizona just a year ago. The company's autonomous vehicle unit also faces ongoing challenges following a highly publicized legal battle with Alphabet's Waymo, leaving the future of Uber's driverless ambitions under intense public and regulatory scrutiny.