Fatal Accidents Pose Questions for Regulators of Self-Driving Tech

Pedestrian Killed by Self-Driving Uber

On March 18, a pedestrian was struck and killed by an autonomous car operated by Uber as she was crossing the street. The Uber, a Volvo XC90, hit and killed the 49-year-old woman despite the car’s being equipped with a variety of sensors, including Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) which is designed to create 3D, 360-degree images of the car’s surroundings and radar that can see objects in the light or dark.  In addition, there was a human safety driver at the wheel, although a video of the accident shows that the driver was not paying attention. Furthermore, the driver was not holding his hands above the steering wheel, as most backup drivers are taught.  However, he had no signs of impairment.  Nor did weather appear to play a role.  The vehicle was moving at 40 mph in a 45 mph zone at the time of the Uber accident.  […]