. 24/7 Space News .
CAR TECH
Self-driving Uber saw woman 6 seconds before fatal crash: probe
By Rob Lever
Washington (AFP) May 24, 2018

An Uber self-driving car detected a pedestrian six seconds ahead of a fatal Arizona crash that killed the woman but failed to activate emergency braking, a preliminary investigation report said Thursday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said its preliminary report stopped short of assigning blame for the March fatal accident in Tempe, Arizona, adding that any conclusion would come in its updated report.

But the NTSB said Uber's engineers had disabled an automatic emergency braking system "to reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behavior."

The report said the self-driving system determined that emergency braking was needed 1.3 seconds before impact but that by then it was too late.

The person in the driver's seat for emergencies applied the brakes less than a second before impact, unable to avoid the woman.

The NTSB said preliminary reports by their nature do not determine the probable cause of an accident, and that "all aspects of the crash remain under investigation."

- Methamphetamine, marijuana -

The report said the pedestrian was dressed in dark clothing and was pushing a bicycle that had no side reflectors when she crossed a section of roadway which had no lighting.

Toxicology tests results for the pedestrian "were positive for methamphetamine and marijuana," the report added.

Uber said in a statement it was cooperating with the safety investigation.

"Over the course of the last two months, we've worked closely with the NTSB," an Uber spokesperson said.

"As their investigation continues, we've initiated our own safety review of our self-driving vehicles program. We've also brought on former NTSB Chair Christopher Hart to advise us on our overall safety culture.

Uber suspended its autonomous driving testing in several locations in the United States after the accident.

The ridesharing giant said it hopes to resume testing in California and elsewhere, but indicated this week it would not restart in Arizona.

After the accident, Arizona governor Doug Ducey sent Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi a letter saying he has directed transportation department officials to suspend Uber's testing in the state and said he found the video of the crash "disturbing and alarming."

Thursday's NTSB report said the Uber car's LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) detected the pedestrian "about six seconds before impact, when the vehicle was traveling 43 mph," or 69 kilometers per hour and that the car's software "classified the pedestrian as an unknown object, as a vehicle, and then as a bicycle with varying expectations of future travel path."

It said Uber's system "is not designed to alert the operator," who is expected "to intervene and take action" in an emergency.


Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


CAR TECH
Dealerships trash talk electric cars: study
Paris (AFP) May 21, 2018
Car dealerships in Nordic countries actively discourage consumers from buying electric vehicles, researchers who conducted an undercover investigation said Monday. Their findings, published in the peer-reviewed Nature Energy, reveal an overlooked barrier to the sale of electric vehicles, which are expected to play a key role in lowering CO2 emissions and curbing global warming. Posing as prospective buyers, the researchers made 126 enquiries at 82 dealerships in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

CAR TECH
US May Order Russian Soyuz Spacecraft to Fly Astronauts to ISS in 2020 - Source

Cement, extreme cold experiments head to space aboard Cygnus cargo ship

US spacewalkers swap, check coolers 'Leaky' and 'Frosty'

NASA Invites Media to SLS Industry Day

CAR TECH
US indirectly confirms existence of Russia's hypersonic weapons

Chinese private firm launches first space rocket

RL10 engine to power ULA's new Vulcan Centaur Upper Stage

NASA's emerging microgap cooling to be tested aboard New Shepard

CAR TECH
NASA's Curiosity Rover Aims to Get Its Rhythm Back

Sierra Nevada Corporation Hardware on NASA's Mars InSight Mission

Dorset as model to help find traces of life on Mars

Opportunity team continues studies on origin of 'Perseverance Valley'

CAR TECH
China's Queqiao satellite carries "large umbrella" into deep space

Russia May Help China Create International Cosmonauts Rehabilitation Center

Sunrise for China's commercial space industry?

Chinese rewrite record, live 370 days in self-contained moon lab

CAR TECH
Goonhilly lands 24m pounds investment enabling global expansion

Australian Space Agency Lost In Canberra

In crowded field, Iraq election hopefuls vie to stand out

ESA selects three new mission concepts for study

CAR TECH
Astonishing effect enables better palladium catalysts

Waterloo chemists create faster and more efficient way to process information

Supercomputing the emergence of material behavior

Keep the light off: A material with improved mechanical performance in the dark

CAR TECH
Orbital variations can trigger 'snowball states' on exoplanets

Amateur astronomer's data helps scientists discover a new exoplanet

Scientists crack how primordial life on Earth might have replicated itself

Atmospheric seasons could signal alien life

CAR TECH
Study co-authored by UCLA scientists shows evidence of water vapor plumes on Jupiter moon

Old Data Reveal New Evidence of Europa Plumes

New views of Jupiter" showcases swirling clouds on giant planet

Fresh results from NASA's Galileo spacecraft 20 years on









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.