Police Release Footage From Fatal Uber Self-Driving Car Crash Police in Tempe, Ariz., are still investigating the collision, which killed a 49-year-old woman crossing the road at night.

By Michael Kan

This story originally appeared on PCMag

Tempe Police Department | Facebook

Police in Arizona have released dash cam footage of Uber's self-driving car in the moments before it fatally struck a woman on Sunday night.

The footage shows the woman, 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, crossing the middle of the road with her bicycle in dimly lit conditions seconds before the collision. The Uber vehicle, which was in self-driving mode and traveling at approximately 40 mph, doesn't appear to slow down. Herzberg was transported to a nearby hospital, where she died.

The footage also includes an interior view of the human driver behind Uber's autonomous vehicle. The man, 44-year-old Rafael Vasquez, fails to notice the woman until the final moment.

Police in Tempe, Ariz., say they're still investigating the incident and have not yet assigned fault. But Tempe's police chief suggested that Uber could be cleared of wrongdoing. "It's very clear it would have been difficult to avoid this collision in any kind of mode (autonomous or human-driven) based on how she came from the shadows right into the roadway," the chief told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The crash appears to be the first time a self-driving car has killed a pedestrian. The Tesla Autopilot crash in 2016 killed that vehicle's driver when it crashed into a truck.

Uber has since temporarily suspended its U.S. self-driving car programs and is cooperating with police on their investigation.

Michael Kan

Reporter

Michael has been a PCMag reporter since October 2017. He previously covered tech news in China from 2010 to 2015, before moving to San Francisco to write about cybersecurity.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Nvidia CEO Says '100% of Everybody's Jobs Will Be Changed' Due to AI

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI will transform how people get work done.

Business News

Google Swoops in to Make a $2.4 Billion Deal With a Startup Previously Promised to OpenAI

Google is hiring the startup's top leadership and paying for licensing rights.

Starting a Business

'Consumers Deserve Better': How Superstar QB Patrick Mahomes Is Brewing a Better Future for Coffee Drinkers

Backed by lead investor and 3-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, Throne SPORT COFFEE is disrupting the $5B ready-to-drink coffee market.

Growing a Business

Why Ethical Luxury Is the Post-COVID Gold — And What That Means for Your Business

Luxury is no longer defined by shine, but rather by story. In a market where meaning outpaces margin, brands built on values are rewriting the rules.

Living

13 Behaviors People Find Condescending

From calling people 'chief' to saying you 'actually' like someone's idea, here are some patronizing behaviors to avoid.

Leadership

I Burned Down My House — and Learned a Leadership Lesson I'll Never Forget

How one fiery mistake shaped my approach to leadership — and can help you too.