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In review of fatal Arizona crash, U.S. agency says Uber software had flaws
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Uber self-driving test vehicle that struck and killed an Arizona woman in 2018 had software flaws, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday as it disclosed the company’s autonomous test vehicles were involved in 37 crashes over the prior 18 months.
NTSB may use the findings from the first fatal self-driving car accident to make recommendations that could impact how the entire industry addresses self-driving software issues or to regulators about how to oversee the industry.
The board will meet Nov. 19 to determine the probable cause of the March 2018 accident in Tempe, Arizona that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg as she was walking a bicycle across a street at night.
In a report released ahead of the meeting, the NTSB said the Uber Technologies Inc vehicle had failed to properly identify her as a pedestrian crossing a street.
That accident prompted significant safety concerns about the nascent self-driving car industry, which is working to get vehicles into commercial use.
In the aftermath of the crash, Uber suspended all testing and did not resume until December in Pennsylvania with revised software and significant new restrictions and safeguards,
A spokeswoman for Uber's self-driving car effort, Sarah Abboud, said the company regretted the crash that killed Herzberg and noted it has “adopted critical program improvements to further prioritize safety. We deeply value the thoroughness of the NTSB's investigation into the crash and look forward to reviewing their recommendations.”
The NTSB reported at least two prior crashes in which Uber test vehicles may not have identified roadway hazards. The NTSB said between September 2016 and March 2018, there were 37 crashes of Uber vehicles in autonomous mode, including 33 that involved another vehicle striking test vehicles.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 07 2019, @01:33AM (20 children)
Sorry, I don't buy this (although the mods are at +4 so I might be in the minority). Peds have the right of way on any urban street (not on limited access freeways, etc, of course). The UBER had plenty of time to see the victim and either slow down or stop to avoid her, but it didn't.
* If the factory automatic braking system on the car hadn't been disabled by the UBER developers this would have been a second line of defense.
* If the check driver hadn't been distracted (by work or a game??) there is the third line of defense.
Someone should be getting charged with a crime for this.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 07 2019, @01:44AM (4 children)
Snotnose is an old crotchety geezer who blames the victim now, but when Snotnose is dying, he will blame God instead of accepting personal responsibility for his life. Modded up because SoylentNews is old crotchety geezers.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Thursday November 07 2019, @01:58AM (3 children)
True on the OCG, not true on blaming $diety cuz I don't believe in $diety.
I can promise you one thing though. I won't be killed by a car while crossing the street. Why? BECAUSE I FUCKING LOOK FOR CARS, DUMASS!
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 07 2019, @02:10AM
I can't wait to read in the obituaries all about how Snotnose was killed by a speeding car.
CARS MOVE FAST, DUMBFUCK.
(Score: 3, Touché) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday November 07 2019, @02:23AM
Oh boy, you're in trouble when Osiris weighs your heart.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday November 07 2019, @07:07AM
Shirley, you don't mean... really?
Just how on Earth did you get a job as a parking attendant? (large grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Thursday November 07 2019, @01:55AM (2 children)
Don't really give a flying fuck. 200 lb pedestrian at 2 MPH vs 2000 lb car at 40 MPH means the pedestrian loses. Don't care if they had the right of way or not. Hell, lets put that on their tombstone: "She had the right of way".
If you cross a street and don't look for oncoming traffic then you are just waiting to be Darwinned.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 07 2019, @02:17AM (1 child)
Yep. We're going to put it on your tombstone. "He had the right of way."
Gonna order your tombstone now because with your attitude, you're likely to be dead real soon.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Friday November 08 2019, @09:13PM
Damn. I wanted Pepperoni and Sausage on mine.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 4, Informative) by deimtee on Thursday November 07 2019, @02:18AM (11 children)
I don't know if it's different in USA, but on Oz roads no-one ever has "right of way". There are many requirements to stop, yield, or give way, but you never have the right to run into someone because they are in your way, and no-one has to get out of your way either.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Thursday November 07 2019, @03:54AM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 08 2019, @04:26AM (1 child)
No. 'Right of way' means you have the right to move forward.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday November 08 2019, @04:40AM
And the "right to move forward" means? It doesn't mean you have a right to step in front of speeding cars or ram someone who pulls out in front of you. It just means that if there is such a collision, the person with the right of way is generally considered to not be at fault.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 07 2019, @06:47AM (4 children)
Sounds like you would have gotten this quiz [news.com.au] wrong. If the three provinces of Australia I checked, each has an extensive page of all the instances when motorists must give way.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Thursday November 07 2019, @10:10AM (3 children)
Um, no. Did you read my post and that link? There are many instances where you must give way. The article wrongly uses 'right of way' to mean that the other person must yield, but they are not the same thing, and the actual law never says you have right of way.
There are plenty of cases that went to court where someone went through a red light or stop sign and someone else hit them, and the court apportioned part blame to both.
My answer would have been legally E, D, C, A, B. But E should be very wary, and D would be an idiot to just walk out on the road after E went past.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday November 08 2019, @04:48AM (2 children)
What's wrongly about that?
Even in places with right of way laws, this often happens. Just because you have a right of way doesn't mean you are driving correctly.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday November 08 2019, @05:24AM (1 child)
It's the difference between a positive and a double negative. There are circumstances where you are explicitly required to stop or yield. There are times when those circumstances do not apply. There are no circumstances where you explicitly have a right to drive forward. You never have the right to proceed into a crash.
You can be stopped at a red light, if it goes green and you drive into a vehicle that comes through the opposing red, and the police think you should* have seen it coming, you will be at fault and charged.** If the civil (damages) case goes to court and the court thinks you should have seen it coming, you will be considered as at least partially at fault.
*If they are certain you did see it you will be charged much harder. Probably jail time if there are injuries, and almost totally at fault in the civil case.
**The other driver will probably be charged too, depending on circumstances. If they had a brake failure, heart attack, medical collapse, etc. they might not.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday November 08 2019, @12:54PM
That would be true even for statutes that explicitly have a right of way.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Muad'Dave on Thursday November 07 2019, @12:15PM
Virginia is the same way. No one _has_ it, but there are tons of instances in which you must yield it.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Codesmith on Thursday November 07 2019, @01:56PM
Very similar in the province of Ontario in Canada. You may have the right-of-way but hitting anything on the roadway makes it possible for you to be charged, even if you have the right-of-way and are below the speed limit. Note, can be and will be are very different, the police and prosecutors have a lot of leeway.
I cannot find the article, but a driver was charged with the Highway Traffic Act offence 'Careless Driving' for intentionally striking wild animals crossing the road. Even threating to hit (or pretending that you will hit) pedestrians constitutes grounds for a criminal charge.
Pro utilitate hominum.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Friday November 08 2019, @09:14PM
That is Arizona traffic law as well - one never has right of way, one only has circumstances in which one must yield one's right of way. At least if the law there hasn't changed since I lived there.
This sig for rent.