Uber To Continue Self-driving Car Testing Months After Fatal Crash

Harin - Dec 19, 2018

After having to halt its self-driving car tests because of a fatal accident, Uber has received permission to resume its tests.

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Uber has received permission from the Pennsylvania state to restart its tests for self-driving cars. An Uber representative confirmed that the company received an authorization letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and that the ride-hailing giant has not restarted their self-driving operations.

Uber’s self-driving vehicles project came to a halt after a fatal crash occurred in Tempe, Arizona back in March in which a pedestrian was deadly injured. The accident was the first death caused by a self-driving vehicle. This was viewed as a major for the self-driving automobile industry, which is trying to put autonomous cars into commercial use. An autonomous SUV with a safety driver inside hit a woman when it was traveling north. She was then transferred to a hospital but later died because of her injuries.

Later, an investigation was carried out. And as stated in a 318-page police report from the Tempe Police Department, investigators found out that Rafaela Vasquez who was the safety driver during a test drive lasting 43 minutes, he had looked down at his phone 204 times.

After the occurrence of the crash, the ride-hailing giant decided to halt all of its testing operations for AV in Toronto, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.

Now, after it has been granted authorization to continue its testing operations, Uber will test its self-driving vehicles more carefully, according to a safety report released by Uber. Two employees will be required to be in the car’s front seat. The company also demands that an automatic braking system is turned on and the safety employees are monitored more strictly.

In 2015, Uber began its development for autonomous vehicles. The following year, the company launched its testing operations. Two weeks ago, the ride-hailing giant filed for a public offering. The company currently has a value of $72 billion. And early next year, when the company debuts its self-driving car services, its value is expected to increase to $120 billion.