Criminal charges still possible
A self-driving Uber car in Tempe struck and killed a woman on her bike in 2018./Tempe Police Dept.
By Ryan Randazzo | Arizona Republic
The operator of a self-driving Uber that hit and killed a pedestrian in Tempe last year was the primary cause of the accident because she was watching “The Voice” on her phone instead of the road.
That’s the finding from the National Transportation Safety Board, although the federal agency identified several other contributory causes in its final report submitted on Tuesday.
It’s the first such declaration by any official entity regarding the accident’s cause. The board also recommended new federal and state requirements for testing autonomous cars on public roads.
Beyond the driver, the board found plenty of blame to go around for the nation’s first pedestrian fatality involving a self-driving car. Officials called out Uber’s lax safety culture, the pedestrian who was high on methamphetamine, and the state of Arizona’s lack of safety requirements for the cars.
But the car itself wasn’t fully autonomous. It was a test vehicle intended to be monitored by the operator, so much of the blame went to her.
