Arizona Bans Uber From Testing Driverless Vehicles Following Fatal Accident

As the first driverless test incident to involve a death, it was only to be expected that Uber would be facing some consequences following the fatal accident that killed a woman in Arizona with one of its self-driving cars. One of these consequences is apparently getting banned in the state from conducting further tests indefinitely.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey wrote a letter to Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi himself, citing the incident as “an unquestionable failure”, Bloomberg reports. Even though Uber had already suspended its self-driving tests in Arizona and other states, the governor still ordered a ban that would effectively stop all of the company’s tests in the region.

“Improving public safety has always been the emphasis of Arizona’s approach to autonomous vehicle testing, and my expectation is that public safety is also the top priority for all who operate this technology in the state,” the letter to Uber reads. “Arizona will not tolerate any less than an unequivocal commitment to public safety.”

This move is a testament to how badly the incident shook all facets of the self-driving sphere. Arizona was supposed to be one of the friendliest states to driverless vehicles, being eager to outdo California in terms of the kinds of advancements that are achieved due to its more relaxed attitude towards regulations, The Verge notes.

Unfortunately, it seems the state’s officials have sobered up following the accident and are now starting to see the sense in having common sense regulations in place for driverless vehicles. The investigations into the incident have not concluded yet and Uber has promised to fully cooperate with authorities on the matter.

The preliminary reports suggested that the accident occurred because the victim stepped into the street just as the Uber car was passing. However, further scrutiny revealed that there were already concerns about issues with the self-driving program that the vehicle was equipped with. Employees even brought up potential issues with safety before the accident, which places the target of blame squarely on Uber.