Police releases video footage of Uber's autonomous car accident
What's the story
After an autonomous Uber car was involved in an accident that resulted in a pedestrian death in Tempe, Arizona, the Tempe Police Department has released the first footage of the fatal crash.
The 22-second video shows the car hitting the pedestrian from two angles, one facing the road and one facing the vehicle's interior.
The footage stops just before the car strikes the pedestrian.
Twitter Post
Caution: The video is graphic in nature
Tempe Police Vehicular Crimes Unit is actively investigating
— Tempe Police (@TempePolice) March 21, 2018
the details of this incident that occurred on March 18th. We will provide updated information regarding the investigation once it is available. pic.twitter.com/2dVP72TziQ
Details
The safety driver was looking down moments before the accident
According to rules regarding Uber testing its autonomous vehicles on public roads, the car did have Rafaela Vasquez, a safety driver, at the wheel.
The video shows him looking down for several seconds before the crash.
The 44-year-old said that "it was like a flash, the person walked out in front" and "the first alert to the collision was the sound of the collision."
Information
Will the safety driver be implicated?
Since Uber's policies regarding safety drivers are not known, it is unclear whether Vasquez will be legally held responsible for the accident. Notably, the key role of a safety driver is to take over the vehicle when the self-driving system fails or endangers others.
After Effects
Uber has paused all of its autonomous vehicle testing operations
"The video is disturbing and heartbreaking to watch. Our cars remain grounded, and we're assisting local, state and federal authorities in any way we can," an Uber spokesperson said.
In the wake of the accident, Uber has halted all of its autonomous vehicle testing operations across all cities including Pittsburgh, Toronto, San Francisco and Phoenix.
Context
The first time an autonomous vehicle has caused human death
This is the first instance of a human death caused due to an autonomous vehicle.
Ideally, the sensors in the car should have spotted a pedestrian in the middle of the street, and the machine's inability to do so has questioned the future of self-driving cars altogether.
In fact, the video shows that the car did not slow down before the accident at all.