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

  • New Riderscan survey on ITS and motorcycling safety
    January 17, 2014
    The Riderscan project is launching its third and last survey targeting European motorcyclists. Focusing on new technologies and powered two wheelers (PTW), the survey will feed the Riderscan report on traffic management, providing a unique opportunity to European riders to express their views on coming intelligent transport technologies. Riderscan aims to bridge the gap between road safety authorities, researchers, and industry stakeholders by setting up a detailed survey over ITS systems in relation wit
    Read More
  • Compass4D workshop
    February 28, 2014
    The next Compass4D combined workshop and showcase event on the real deployment of ITS takes place at the Automotive Campus in Helmond in the Netherlands on 4 April. The workshop will discuss the actions needed to deploy ITS: What cities should do and what they expect from the industry; The role of European, national and local authorities; and the appropriate business models to guarantee a successful C-ITS deployment. The workshop will also show some of the ITS services for safer and cleaner transport in
    Read More
  • Lyft establishes dedicated pick-up zone at Toronto shopping centre
    December 21, 2018
    Lyft has established a dedicated zone at the west exit of the Cadillac Fairview Toronto Eaton Shopping Centre to help visitors get to and from the venue. Riders can then use Lyft’s app to choose specific pick-up and drop-off points around the shopping centre’s offices, shops and restaurants. The partnership says it will gather feedback and adapt the service to meet the needs of riders. Last month, Lyft entered an agreement with the Regional Transportation Commission of South Nevada to offer cheaper ride
    Read More
  • USDOT connected vehicle basics webinar announced
    April 3, 2014
    The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program's next T3 webinar, Connected Vehicle Basics will be held on Thursday, 24 April, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET. T3 webinars are interactive online meetings where subject matter experts present on a wide range of topics related to ITS planning, design, procurement, deployment, operations, noteworthy practices, and lessons learned. T3 Webinars are sponsored by the ITS PCB Program, which is a part of the ITS Joint Program Off
    Read More

Highlighted Content