Uber halts self-driving cars after pedestrian fatality

By Ovunc Kutlu

NEW YORK

Uber has suspended testing of its self-driving vehicles Monday after a female pedestrian in the state of Arizona was killed, according to media reports.

The woman in Tempe, who was crossing the street outside the lines of a crosswalk, was hit by one of the company’s ride-hailing self-driving cars around 10 p.m. (0700GMT).

The woman, who has not yet been publicly identified, was transferred to a local hospital and died from her injuries, according to Tempe Police Department.

Uber's vehicle was in autonomous mode, but there was a human personnel as a safety driver behind the wheel of the vehicle during the incident, reports said. The death goes into record as the first pedestrian fatality involving the self-driving technology.

The California-based company said Monday it is suspending testing the technology in U.S. cities of Tempe, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco, as well as in Toronto, Canada.

"Some incredibly sad news out of Arizona," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote on his Twitter account. "We’re thinking of the victim’s family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened," he added.

Uber had suspended testing its self-driving cars in Tempe a year ago, in March 2017, when its car was hit when the driver of another vehicle failed to yield and caused Uber’s car to roll over on its side.