A woman was struck and killed by an Uber self-driving vehicle in Tempe, Arizona late Sunday night, becoming the first known fatality from an autonomous vehicle accident on a public road. According to Tempe police, a driver was in the vehicle, but the vehicle was in autonomous mode.
The woman, Elaine Herzberg, 49, was struck as she crossed the road outside of a crosswalk. She was walking her bicycle, laden with grocery bags, across the street. The Uber vehicle was traveling at about 38 mph when the incident occurred. Herzberg was taken, unconscious, to a nearby hospital where she died of her injuries.
The police say that Uber is assisting in the investigation. Uber has said that they’ve suspended all automated vehicle tests in both the U.S. and Canada until findings acknowledge the safety of the vehicles.
Preliminary police investigations are leaning towards Uber not being at fault. Using video recorded by the car itself, they’ve seen that even had a human driver been behind the wheel, it’s likely that the woman’s sudden emergence from the dark may have made an accident unavoidable.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.