After Disastrous Accident, Uber Stops Autonomous Driving Tests

In yet another nail in Uber’s coffin, the cab-hailing firm suffered the single worst road accident involving autonomous vehicles without counting the fatal incidents with Tesla vehicles last year. While the worst that Google has had to contend with are minor fender benders with its own driverless cars, one of Uber’s test vehicles actually ended up causing serious damages.

The crash happened Friday night in Tempe, Arizona at around 6:25 PM, The Washington Post reports. According to the Tempe Police Department, the crash occurred when a driver did not yield to one of the Uber driverless Volvo units. The Volvo ended up on its side while the other car sustained heavy damages to its body. Fortunately, it seems the injuries were relatively minor.

Following the accident, Uber was forced to suspend its self-driving tests, which is a huge blow to the company’s ambitions of dominating the driverless cab market. According to the firm, there was a driver behind the Volvo during the crash, but the vehicle was in autonomous mode when at the time. There were no passengers in the backseat.

In any case, the incident highlights a problematic aspect to Uber’s aggressive behavior when it comes to pushing towards a more autonomous future with its cab-hailing service. It also served to ignite the debate regarding the role of companies in developing self-driving technology and whether or not they should slow things down a bit.

Uber has been a particularly prominent target of criticism of late due to its perceived disregard for the rule of law and public safety. After ramming untested technology into the public sphere in a bid to be the first among its competitors to introduce self-driving cabs, it ignored the California DMV’s requirement of a permit for testing its vehicles.

Adding to the company’s troubles are the various lawsuits and sexual harassment allegations that it is currently facing, Bloomberg points out. The company is still a Golden Goose to investors, but if this trend continues, it will be difficult for Uber to come back from the damage to its reputation and business prospects.