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posted by martyb on Saturday June 23 2018, @03:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the unfortunate dept.

According to this article on MSN:

Police in Tempe, Arizona said evidence showed the "safety" driver behind the wheel of a self-driving Uber was distracted and streaming a television show on her phone right up until about the time of a fatal accident in March, deeming the crash that rocked the nascent industry "entirely avoidable."

A 318-page report from the Tempe Police Department, released late on Thursday in response to a public records request, said the driver, Rafaela Vasquez, repeatedly looked down and not at the road, glancing up just a half second before the car hit 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, who was crossing the street at night.

According to the report, Vasquez could face charges of vehicle manslaughter. Police said that, based on testing, the crash was "deemed entirely avoidable" if Vasquez had been paying attention.

Police obtained records from Hulu, an online service for streaming television shows and movies, which showed Vasquez's account was playing the television talent show "The Voice" the night of the crash for about 42 minutes, ending at 9:59 p.m., which "coincides with the approximate time of the collision," the report says.

It is not clear if Vasquez will be charged, and police submitted their findings to county prosecutors, who will make the determination.


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by DrkShadow on Saturday June 23 2018, @04:46PM

    by DrkShadow (1404) on Saturday June 23 2018, @04:46PM (#697226)

    There is already information that the car was programmed incorrectly by uber, then handed to an employee who was told

    The only thing it makes sense to have told the driver is that this car is in testing, will make mistakes, and you, the driver, are there to assure that a mistake by this car doesn't lead to something catastrophic. You're expected to minimize liability and be able to mitigate any and all errors should they happen.

    Starting Score:    1  point
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