Self-driving Uber crashes in Arizona, ending up on its side
Uber's on-going troubles are far from over: one of the ride-hailing company's autonomous test vehicles was involved in a serious accident on Friday evening in Tempe, Arizona. The first photos from the incident show Uber's Volvo SUV resting on its side, along with damage to two other human-operated vehicles that were involved in the accent. Fortunately it has been confirmed that there were no injuries to anyone present.
In a limited statement to Bloomberg, Uber confirmed that it was aware of the accident and investigating, and would provide more details at a later time. Photos and a video of the aftermath of the accident were posted to Twitter by the Fresco News account:
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
#UPDATE: No injuries yet reported in an accident involving a self-driving #uber, captured by @fresconews user Mark Beach in Tempe, AZ. pic.twitter.com/kmizvRD5WP
— Fresco News (@fresconews) March 25, 2017
It's not yet clear if fault in the accident lies with the self-driving vehicle, or, as is often the case autonomous car tests, it was error on the part of a human driver. According to accounts from The Arizona Republic and ABC 15 News, one of the vehicles failed to yield to the Uber SUV while making a left turn, in turn colliding with it and pushing it onto its side. A third car was then struck by one of these first two.
Uber just began testing its self-driving technology in Arizona following its high-profile quarrel with California's DMV. After the company refused to apply for a permit to operate its test fleet in San Francisco, it had its registration revoked. The accident also comes after Uber's president left the company after only 6 months in the position, and a lawsuit from Waymo claiming the theft of its technology secrets.
SOURCE Bloomberg