Accident Puts Kibosh on Uber's Self-Driving Test Cars

Ride-sharing company pulls plug after Arizona wreck
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 26, 2017 12:07 PM CDT
Accident Puts Kibosh on Uber's Self-Driving Test Cars
An Uber self-driving Volvo in Pittsburgh, March 17, 2017.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Uber is abruptly pulling the plug on its self-driving cars after what appears to be an accident caused by human error, reports Bloomberg, which calls the development "the latest incident for a company reeling from multiple crises." An Uber vehicle wrecked in dramatic fashion, flipping on its side after another car failed to yield. "There was a person behind the wheel," says a Tempe police rep of the Uber car. "It is uncertain at this time if they were controlling the vehicle at the time of the collision." Uber is taking no chances, and is suspending its pilot programs in Arizona and Pittsburgh while it investigates: "We are continuing to look into this incident and can confirm we had no backseat passengers in the vehicle," says a rep. (More self-driving car stories.)

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