Self-drive testing suspended after death

Uber’s self-driving vehicle testing has been suspended in the wake of a pedestrian fatality in California last week.

Arizona governor Doug Ducey said in a letter to chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi that video footage of the crash raised concerns about the San Francisco-based company’s ability to safely test its technology in Arizona. He said he expected public safety to be the top priority for those who operate self-driving cars.

“The incident that took place on 18 March is an unquestionable failure to comply with this expectation,” Ducey said.

The move by the Republican governor marks a major step back from his embrace of self-driving vehicles. He previously welcomed Uber and other autonomous vehicle companies to use Arizona as a place for testing under few, if any, regulations.

In early March, he authorised self-driving vehicle companies to run tests without a person in the car to act as a safety operator.