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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.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 24 2018, @11:20AM (1 child)
I don't see where you're including recognition of a hazard, and reaction time in your numbers. If the only thing being considered is the physics of the vehicle, that is, the time and distance AFTER full braking power is applied, then I can accept your numbers.
In real life, that "safety driver" wasn't fully alert 100% of the time, as others have pointed out. Uber's alarm should have alerted the driver, but it takes a moment to refocus full attention on the road, another moment to recognize the hazard, another to reach for the brakes, and perhaps another moment still to really stand on the brakes for a panic stop. Moments ticking by, while the car continues at or near full speed.
I could forgive that "safety driver" if he had merely allowed his mind to wander a little bit. That happens to everyone, professional or not. But he was WATCHING A MOVIE!! That is plain and simple dereliction of duty. And, that certainly had an effect on his/her reactions when the emergency occurred.
If the driver had been paying attention, had he recognized the emergency for what it was, he probably wouldn't have tried to brake at all. Instead, the car could have been steered around the obstacle.
To the best of my knowledge, there was little traffice, and no traffic close enough to be a hazard in the next lane over.
I think that all of us have chosen to steer around a hazard, rather than brake for it, haven't we? I have many times!
(Score: 2) by schad on Monday June 25 2018, @12:28AM
I didn't include that stuff because it didn't matter: the driver was negligently inattentive, and the car had no ability to warn her. If the car had somehow noticed six minutes in advance, it would have made no difference.
My point was only that six seconds is actually plenty of time to react, assuming that everyone involved actually had the ability to do so. If the driver had been paying attention, six seconds is plenty of time to come to a stop. If the car could sound an alarm, even an initially-inattentive driver could realized the problem and come to a stop (or at least slow enough for the pedestrian to be far more likely to survive). And finally, if the car had the ability to apply the brakes on its own, six seconds is enough time to do so without even needing to "panic stop" (which is dangerous in its own right).