Uber seeks to resume AV trials nearly eight months after Arizona fatality

Uber wants to resume testing its self-driving cars on public roads nearly eight months after one of its autonomous vehicles (AV) killed a pedestrian in Arizona. The ride-hailing company has released a voluntary safety report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which includes safety enhancements to help prevent crashes and fatalities. Uber says its AVs would include two mission specialists – employees who have completed advanced training courses in self-driving vehicle operations. The
November 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
8336 Uber wants to resume testing its self-driving cars on public roads nearly eight months after one of its autonomous vehicles (AV) killed a %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 34272 0 link-external pedestrian false /categories/utc/news/ubers-autonomous-taxi-kills-pedestrian-north-american-trials-suspended/ false false%> in Arizona.


The ride-hailing company has released a voluntary safety %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external report false https://uber.app.box.com/v/UberATGSafetyReport false false%> to the US 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which includes safety enhancements to help prevent crashes and fatalities.

Uber says its AVs would include two mission specialists – employees who have completed advanced training courses in self-driving vehicle operations. The training includes modules on distracted driving and a preventive fatigue monitoring programme.

In %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 36189 0 link-external July false /categories/location-based-systems/news/ubers-self-driving-cars-resume-trials-in-pittsburgh-in-manual-mode/ false false%>, the company’s mission specialists began manually driving Uber’s AVs on public roads in Pittsburgh to trial new safeguards which are expected to improve vehicle safety and performance.

One mission specialist remained behind the wheel to maintain the vehicle’s safety while the other documented notable events in the passenger seat.

According to Uber, all self-driving vehicles are now equipped with a third-party driver monitoring system and feature improved system latency to detect objects and actors sooner and react faster.

In the introduction of the report, Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s CEO says the company has conducted a review of Uber Advanced Technologies Group’s safety approaches, system development and culture.

“We continue to support the 5628 National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the Tempe crash. We have taken a measured, phased approach to returning to on-road testing, starting first with manual driving in Pittsburgh,” Khosrowshahi adds.

Khosrowshahi emphasises that Uber has committed to deliver the safety report before returning to on-road testing in self-driving mode and will only go back on the road once the improved process has been implemented.

Related Content

  • RTD joins forces with Uber for trip planning in Denver
    February 6, 2019
    The Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, Colorado, has entered into an agreement which will allow its riders to view transit routes within Uber’s app. RTD says the collaboration will allow commuters to plan their travel with additional first/last mile options. Riders can select the app’s ‘Transit’ option to see available routes, real-time schedules and walking directions to and from stations. Looking ahead, the partnership intends to allow riders to purchase RTD tickets via the app,
    Read More
  • SwRI sponsors ITS America with $1,000 student essay competition
    February 14, 2018
    Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is inviting U.S. students to take part in an essay competition to share their visions for the future of transportation with a $1,000 (£720) prize and a trip to ITS America 2018, in Detroit, from the 4-7 June. It is aimed at providing students an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a thought-provoking manner. The topic, ‘How do you envision disruptive consumer technology will affect transportation systems over the next 10 years?’ is open to transportation, engineering
    Read More
  • Companies depend on automation, AI and machine learning for cyber security
    February 23, 2018
    To defend against cyber attacks, 39% of organisations are reliant on automation, 34% on machine learning and 32% on artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Cisco 2018 annual report conducted on 3,600 chief information security officers. It found that over half of all attacks resulted in financial damages of more than $500,000 (£697,000), including, but not limited to, lost revenue, clients, opportunities, and out-of-pocket costs. The study revealed that adversaries are using Malware sophistication
    Read More
  • Smart Mobility World 2015
    October 9, 2015
    Smart Mobility World 2015, organised by ClickutilityTeam and Innovability, takes place in Monza, Italy, from 28-30 October 2015. It provides an opportunity to engage with experts in the machine-to-machine market, with an industry-led, market-driven conference agenda focused on the machine to machine market. Industry experts will share their expertise on trends impacting future development, alongside an exhibition of mobility solutions, applications and embedded devices.
    Read More

Highlighted Content