SandyMaloneTempe, AZ – A woman was struck and killed by a self-driving Uber SUV in the early hours of Monday morning.
The New York Times reported that Uber had suspended testing of its self-driving cars in Tempe, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto, in the wake of the accident.
An Uber spokeswoman said the company was “fully cooperating” with the local authorities.
The autonomous Uber had a safety driver at the wheel, as was required for Uber’s autonomous test vehicles operating on public roads, Tech Crunch reported.
Police said that the Uber was driving northbound near Mill Avenue and Curry Road when a woman attempted to cross the street with her bicycle in front of the vehicle outside, of a crosswalk, KNXV reported.
The pedestrian was hit by the Uber, and transported to a nearby hospital where she died, police said.
There were no passengers in the self-driving Uber at the time of the crash, according to KNXV.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident,” Uber said in a statement the company released.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted his condolences about the tragic death.
Police have not yet released the name of the victim.
The New York Times reported that the collision was the first time anyone was known to have been killed by a self-driving vehicle on public roads.
There are huge implications for self-driving vehicles in the future as a result of this first crash, Tech Crunch reported.
It’s not known if the safety driver who was in the Uber and supposed to be watching out for this sort of problem could be held legally responsible.
Tech Crunch said that results of the investigation and the outcomes from this incident will shape the future of autonomous vehicle regulation in the United States.