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TECHNOLOGYSaturday 24 March 2018
Uber self-driving crash calls safety, rules into question
By MELISSA DANIELS and This image made from video Sunday, March 18, 2018, of a mounted camera provided by the governing testing and de-
BOB CHRISTIE Tempe Police Department shows an exterior view moments before an Uber SUV hit a woman in ployment of technology is
PHOENIX (AP) — Video of Tempe, Ariz. needed to avoid a 50-state
a fatal pedestrian crash in- patchwork of laws.
volving a self-driving Uber Associated Press Data from the National
vehicle that some experts Conference of State Leg-
say exposes flaws in au- dicates the vehicle's sen- eo was revealing in mul- tions in early March sent a islatures shows that states
tonomous vehicle tech- sors should have spotted tiple ways, including that letter urging Congress to are increasingly introduc-
nology is prompting calls the pedestrian and that it the driver appeared dis- expedite passage of a pro- ing legislation over autono-
to slow down testing on should have initiated brak- tracted and that Herzberg posal from Sen. John Thune, mous vehicles -- 33 in 2017.
public roads and renewing ing to avoid the crash that appeared to have been R-South Dakota, that aims More than 20 states have
concerns about regulatory killed 49-year-old Elaine in the roadway and mov- to provide regulatory over- already enacted autono-
readiness. The 22-second Herzberg on Sunday night. ing for several seconds and sight and make it easier to mous vehicle legislation.
video shows a woman It was the first fatality of a still her presence wasn't deploy the technology. Uber, Intel, Waymo and GM
walking from a darkened self-driving vehicle, and sensed. After the crash, groups like are testing autonomous
area onto a street just be- Uber has suspended its Laser systems used in the Vision Zero, Advocates for cars in Arizona, which does
fore an Uber SUV in self- testing as the investigation vehicles, called Lidar, can Highway and Auto Safety not require them to get a
driving mode strikes her. It proceeds. The investiga- carry a blind spot, he said. and other safety-minded permit. After the Tempe
was released by police in tion included police and "All of this should be looked organizations urged the crash, Gov. Doug Ducey,
Tempe, Arizona, following federal safety officials using at in excruciating detail," Senate Committee on who lured the companies
the crash earlier this week. the crash vehicle and the he said. Commerce, Science and to the state with a prom-
Three experts who study the victim's bicycle to recreate Herzberg's death occurs Transportation to pause ise of minimal regulation,
emerging technology con- the crash to conduct brak- at time when eagerness to consideration of Thune's warned against jumping to
cluded the video, which ing and visibility tests at the put autonomous vehicles proposal until the Tempe conclusions.
includes dashcam footage scene Thursday night, az- on public roads is acceler- crash investigation is com- He noted both the Tempe
of the driver's reaction, in- family.com reported. ating in Silicon Valley, the pleted. police and the National
Raj Rajkumar, who heads auto industry and state and "The stage is now set for Transportation Safety Board
ROOMS FOR RENT per night in the autonomous vehicle federal governments. More what will essentially be be- is investigating.
the Center of Aruba with private program at Carnegie Mel- than 100 auto manufactur- ta-testing on public roads "So let's see what hap-
lon University, said the vid- ers and industry associa- with families as unwitting pened."
bedroom, WIFI, TV by Cable crash test dummies," the Earlier this month, Ducey
letter said. issued an executive order
and Private Parking. Thune, who chairs the sci- that will allow companies
ence committee, said in to operate autonomous
Since Usd .30 per night. a statement Thursday that vehicles without a person
the crash underscores the on board. The only regula-
whatsapp 5600312 need to adopt laws and tion is to send an advisory
policies tailored to self-driv- letter to the state Depart-
Email: ing vehicles. ment of Transportation.
"Congress should act to up- John Simpson of the Cal-
lasaresidence@gmail.com date rules, direct manufac- ifornia-based advocacy
turers to address safety re- group Consumer Watch-
quirements, and enhance dog said Ducey was turning
the technical expertise of Arizona into "the wild West
regulators," Thune said. of automobile testing."
Scott Hall, spokesman for "There's no regulations,
the Coalition of Future and if there's not a sher-
Mobility, which represents iff in town somebody gets
a variety of auto, con- killed," Simpson said.
sumer and taxpayer inter- His group is calling for a na-
est groups, said Thursday it tional moratorium on the
supports the bill because a testing of all autonomous
national framework of rules vehicles until the cause
of the fatal crash is deter-
mined. He said other states
and Congress should look
to California for a blueprint,
where even minor crashes
must be reported.
In Arizona, companies such
as Uber only need to carry
minimum liability insurance
to operate self-driving cars.
They are not required to
track crashes or report any
information to the state.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder,
who also has embraced
limited regulations for au-
tonomous vehicles, said the
crash wasn't causing him to
rethink his state's laws.q
