Driverless Uber kills a woman
First death of pedestrian after car hits woman crossing road
AN AMERICAN woman has become the first pedestrian in the world to be killed by a driverless car.
The Uber vehicle, a Volvo 4x4, struck Elaine Herzberg, 49, as she crossed the road in Tempe, Arizona, early yesterday morning.
The controversial ride-sharing company immediately suspended all selfdriving car tests.
The fatality will again raise questions about the safety of autonomous vehicles at a time when Uber and Google are pushing to have them on public roads in the US and the UK. British tests, while less advanced than in the US, are set to expand massively.
AA president Edmund King said: ‘ This fatality in Arizona perhaps reminds us that autonomous cars are not infallible.
‘In the UK it is right that we are thoroughly piloting this new technology before taking our hands off the wheel on the high street. We need to show that the technology is safe.’
Uber is not among the companies testing driverless cars in Britain, where the Government wants them to be in commercial use by 2021.
Autonomous vehicles have undergone restricted tests in Milton Keynes and Greenwich – but have not yet encountered other cars on public highways. Another project, GATEway, has operated automated pods along the pedestrian Thames Path in Greenwich, south-east London – also away from other cars.
Under strict test conditions in Coventry last November, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Tata Motors briefly tested ‘driverless’ car technology on public roads.
The Government has commissioned a detailed three-year review of driving laws to ensure the legislation can cope with the new technology. Key aspects will be adjusting the law to reflect the fact future vehicles may not have a ‘driver’ and also consider whether liability for some criminal offences involved should rest with the car’s owner or its manufacturer.
The Treasury has said it hopes the driverless car industry ‘will be worth £28billion to the UK economy by 2035’.
A safety driver was at the wheel of the Uber car yesterday, but she was unable to stop the accident. The Volvo XC90 was pictured parked by the side of a road with police nearby and its hazard lights on. A damaged bicycle lay on the pavement a few feet away. Reports said Miss Herzberg had been pushing the bike when she was hit.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates major accidents such as train crashes, has dispatched a team to Tempe. An Uber spokesman said: ‘Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully co-operating with local authorities in their investigation.’
Last May the driver of a Tesla Model S in autopilot mode was killed when the vehicle drove under a truck turning in front of him. Miss Herzberg’s death is the first of another road user caused by a driverless vehicle.
In the US, former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: ‘This is a wake-up call to the entire autonomous vehicle industry and the government to put a high priority on safety.’