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Self-Driving Uber Hits and Kills Pedestrian


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

TEMPE, AZ - March 19, 2018: Just minutes ago, AP released a report that a self-driving Uber vehicle struck and killed a female pedestrian Sunday evening. The report states:

"Uber's testing was halted after police in a Phoenix suburb said one of its self-driving vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian overnight Sunday. The vehicle was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel when a woman walking outside of a crosswalk was hit, Tempe police Sgt. Ronald Elcock said.

The woman, whose name hasn't been released, died of her injuries at a hospital."

UPDATE: A subsequent news story identified as 49-year-old victim as Elaine Herzberg. Apparently Ms. Harzberg was walking her bicycle across the street outside the lanes of a crosswalk when she was "autonomated."

Undoubtedly this will be a not too uncommon story as the auto and tech industries rush headlong into an autonomous driving landscape that we don't need, and that would probably spell the end to the auto industry as we know it.

SEE: Autonomous Driving May Kill The Automobile Industry And Our Freedom Of Mobility

The general media will most likely have exhaustive coverage of the story throughout the day as they rush headlong into trying to prove that they have any relevance to their respective communities. Sadly, the Uber service is generally great. It would be a shame if this destroyed the company.

The cynicism in the above commentary was happily provided by Marc J. Rauch, Co-Publisher of TheAutoChannel.com.