Uber’s self-driving car experiment has been been put on hold after a serious accident in Arizona. Images of the incident show one of Uber’s SUVs rolled on its side, indicating that this was much worse than a minor fender bender.
According to the police report, Uber’s car was not the cause of the accident. Instead, it was said that another car failed to come to a stop for the vehicle, causing it to flip on its side.
BREAKING: Self-driving Uber vehicle on it’s side after a collision in Tempe, AZ.
Photos by @fresconews user Mark Beach pic.twitter.com/5NCF2KG0rW
— Fresco News (@fresconews) March 25, 2017
Uber itself has confirmed that the incident happened and is investigating the matter. The company has said that it believes that the human driver in its car failed to take control of the vehicle in time to prevent the accident. All of Uber’s self-driving cars have a human behind the wheel as a safety precaution.
This accident may not bode well for the future of Uber’s autonomous vehicles. The company was only operating in Arizona after refusing to obtain a testing permit in California. Which isn’t too surprising considering the company’s modus operandi.
Comparions between Uber’s accident and Alphabet-owned Waymo’s incidents are being drawn as an example of how far the ride-sharing company has to go. Waymo’s vehicles have also had several road accidents, although almost all of them were the result of other drivers hitting them from behind.
[Source: Bloomberg]
