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Uber Cancels Self Driving Car Tests

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22 March 2018

By Alex Khalil

After a fatal accident in Arizona, Uber has halted the testing of its self-driving cars. A 49-year-old woman was hit by a car and killed as she crossed the street earlier this week.

While self-driving cars have been involved in accidents before, this is the first time an autonomous car has been involved in a fatal collision. Uber said their ‘hearts go out to the victim’s family’, via Twitter.

Police said the accident happened on Sunday evening, while the car was in the self-driving mode. A human monitor was behind the wheel, however.  Elaine Herzberg was not using a pedestrian crossing when she was hit. She was taken to hospital after the accident, where she passed away.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were sending teams to Tempe Arizona.

Companies like Ford, General Motors, Tesla and Waymo have all invested into the research of self-driving cars. Many states across America have welcomed the tests, in the hopes of keeping them at the forefront of technology. This, however, could dent those plans somewhat. There were warnings that the technology was deployed before it was ready.

Uber started testing cars in 2016 in the US state of Pittsburgh. The ride-hailing firm was also testing driverless cars in San Francisco, Toronto and the Phoenix area, including Tempe. This death comes one year after another accident in Arizona where a car was turned on its side.

Testing was suspended, then reinstated.

This could halt progress rather seriously.

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