Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 20 March 2018
Self-driving vehicle strikes and kills pedestrian in Arizona

By FELICIA FONSECA Many states, including
TOM KRISHER Michigan and Arizona,
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A have taken a largely
self-driving Uber SUV struck hands-off approach, hop-
and killed a pedestrian in ing to gain jobs from the
suburban Phoenix in the new technology, while
first death involving a fully California and others have
autonomous test vehicle taken a harder line.
— an accident that could California is among states
have far-reaching conse- that require manufacturers
quences for the new tech- to report any incidents dur-
nology. ing the testing phase. As
The crash Sunday night in of early March, the state’s
Tempe was the event many motor vehicle agency had
in the auto and technology received 59 such reports.
industries were dreading Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey
but knew was inevitable. used light regulations to en-
Uber immediately sus- tice Uber to the state after
pended all road-testing of the company had a shaky
such autos in the Phoenix rollout of test cars in San
area, Pittsburgh, San Fran- This March 19, 2018 still image taken from video provided by ABC-15, shows investigators at the Francisco. Arizona has no
cisco and Toronto. The test- scene of a fatal accident involving a self driving Uber car on the street in Tempe, Ariz. Police in the reporting requirements.
city of Tempe said Monday, March 19, 2018, that the vehicle was in autonomous mode with an
ing has been going on for operator behind the wheel when the woman walking outside of a crosswalk was hit. Hundreds of vehicles with
months as automakers and (ABC-15.com via AP) automated driving systems
technology companies have been on Arizona’s
like the ride-hailing service fic Safety Administration, Carolina law professor who of crashes are caused by roads. Ducey’s office ex-
compete to be the first which can enact regula- studies self-driving vehicles. human error, the govern- pressed sympathy for Herz-
with cars that operate on tions, sent investigators. Although the Uber vehicle ment says. berg’s family and said safe-
their own. The Volvo was in Tempe police Sgt. Ronald and its human backup Autonomous vehicles ty is the top priority.
self-driving mode with a hu- Elcock said local authori- could be at fault, it may don't drive drunk, don't get The crash in Arizona isn’t
man backup driver at the ties haven't drawn any turn out that there was sleepy and aren't easily dis- the first involving an Uber
wheel when it hit 49-year- conclusions about who is nothing either could have tracted. But they do have autonomous test vehicle.
old Elaine Herzberg as she at fault but urged people done to stop the crash, he faults. In March 2017, an Uber SUV
was walking a bicycle out- to use crosswalks. He told said. "We should be concerned flipped onto its side, also in
side the lines of a crosswalk, reporters at a news confer- Either way, the fatality about automated driving," Tempe. No serious injuries
police said. She died at a ence Monday the Uber ve- could hurt the technology's Smith said. "We should be were reported, and the
hospital. Uber CEO Dara hicle was traveling around image and lead to a push terrified about human driv- driver of the other car was
Khosrowshahi expressed 40 mph when it hit Helz- for more regulations at the ing." cited for a violation.
condolences on his Twitter berg immediately as she state and federal levels, In 2016, the latest year Herzberg’s death is the first
account and said the com- stepped on to the street. Smith said. available, more than 6,000 involving an autonomous
pany is working with local Neither she nor the backup Autonomous vehicles with U.S. pedestrians were killed test vehicle but not the first
law enforcement on the in- driver showed signs of im- laser, radar and camera by vehicles. in a car with some self-driv-
vestigation. pairment, he said. sensors and sophisticated The federal government ing features. The driver of a
The National Transporta- The public's image of the computers have been has voluntary guidelines for Tesla Model S was killed in
tion Safety Board, which vehicles will be defined billed as the way to reduce companies that want to 2016 when his car, operat-
makes recommendations by stories like the crash in the more than 40,000 traf- test autonomous vehicles, ing on its Autopilot system,
for preventing crashes, and Tempe, said Bryant Walker fic deaths a year in the U.S. leaving much of the regu- crashed into a tractor-trail-
the National Highway Traf- Smith, a University of South alone. Ninety-four percent lation up to states. er in Florida.q

Watchdog blasts Denver sheriff's response to inmate's death

By KATHLEEN FOODY sight agency for Denver's required other changes iff's department responded Marshall at the jail or the
DENVER (AP) — The Denver police and sheriff depart- at the jail, including men- to Marshall's death and nurses who were called to
Sheriff's Department mis- ments, recommends that a tal health coverage being levels harsh criticism at the area when Marshall
handled an investigation civilian be put in charge of provided there 24 hours the Internal Affairs Bureau, became unconscious. The
into the 2015 death of a the Internal Affairs Bureau a day and training for all which began its review of monitor's office also ob-
man restrained by depu- of the sheriff's department deputies on mental illness. the case in 2016 after pros- jected in June when inves-
ties at the jail and must that investigates allega- Marshall, 50, died nine days ecutors announced that tigators again declined to
change its disciplinary and tions of officer misconduct. after he was restrained in a no criminal charges would further investigate.
investigative process, a It also called on the sheriff's prone position for several be filed. About a month Both attempts to end the
law enforcement watch- department to make a va- minutes by Denver jail dep- later, the bureau told the inquiry "raised troubling
dog agency said in a blis- riety of changes to its poli- uties because they said independent monitor's of- questions about IAB's will-
tering report Monday that cies on staff training, hiring Marshall was aggressive fice that its investigation ingness to conduct a thor-
focused new attention on and interaction with medi- with another inmate and was complete, according ough and impartial investi-
a case that has already re- cal staff when an inmate's had ignored commands. to the report. gation of this serious case,"
sulted in a $4.6 million set- health conflicts with jail se- He choked on his own vom- Independent Monitor Nick the report says. Choosing a
tlement. curity. The city of Denver it, lost consciousness and Mitchell's office objected, civilian to lead the internal
The report made public by reached the settlement died later at a hospital. arguing that investigators affairs division could insu-
Denver's independent po- with Michael Marshall's The report includes new did not interview any of the late it from "internal pres-
lice monitor, a civilian over- family in November that detail about how the sher- deputies who restrained sures," it says.q