Uber is at fault for fatal self-driving crash, but it’s not alone
0Reported today on The Verge
For the full article visit: http://bit.ly/2O5SHqZ
Reported today in The Verge.
Uber is at fault for fatal self-driving crash, but it's not alone
Federal investigators split the blame for the fatal Uber self-driving crash between the ride-hailing company, the safety driver in the vehicle, the victim, and the state of Arizona in a blistering official report that also took the federal government to task for failing to properly regulate the industry.
In a hearing of the National Traffic Safety Board in Washington, DC on November 19th, the three-member panel heard from a team of investigators who had been sifting through the details of the crash for over a year now. At the end of the two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the board issued its determination of probable cause in the event that shook the autonomous vehicle industry.
The board cited the following as contributing to the fatal crash:
The failure of the Uber self-driving vehicle operator, Rafaela Vasquez, to monitor the road and the automated driving system because she was "visually distracted throughout the trip by her personal cell phone." Police had determined that Vasquez was streaming The Voice on her smartphone at the time of the crash. NTSB investigators confirmed that she spent 34 percent of her time in the Uber vehicle that night glancing down at her phone, with the final glance taking place six seconds before impact. Vasquez only returned her gaze to the road one second before the crash, investigators said.
The "inadequate safety risk assessment procedures" at Uber's Advanced Technologies Group. The board blasted Uber's lack of a safety division within ATG, noting that the company did not have a dedicated safety manager in place who was responsible for risk assessment and mitigation.
Uber's "ineffective" monitoring of vehicle operators. There were cameras in