- A woman in Arizona has been hit and killed by a self-driving Uber car.
- It's believed to be the first time an autonomous vehicle has killed a pedestrian.
- Uber says it is cooperating with the authorities.
A woman in Arizona has died after being hit by a self-driving car operated by Uber, in what is believed to be the first time ever a pedestrian has been killed by an autonomous vehicle.
ABC 15 is reporting that the vehicle hit a woman in Tempe, Arizona on Monday morning, and that she died of her injuries at a hospital. The vehicle was in self-driving mode at the time of the crash, the news outlet cites Tempe police as saying.
The incident appears to be the first time a pedestrian has been killed by an autonomous vehicle, and is sure to ignite debate around the ethics and safety of the tech. Proponents of the technology tout them as a far safer alternative to traditional, human-driven cars. (A male driver was previously killed while using Tesla's semi-autonomous "auto pilot" mode, though he ignored seven safety warnings.)
Uber has since paused all of its self-driving car operations in Tempe, San Francisco, and Toronto,WPXI News reports.
The exact circumstances of the crash are not yet known.
In a brief statement provided to Business Insider, Uber confirmed that someone had died, and said the company is cooperating with investigators.
A spokesperson said: "Our hearts go out to the victim's family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident." The company did not immediately provide further details about the deadly incident.
Tempe Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story is developing...
http://www.businessinsider.com/uber...ter-behing-hit-self-driving-car-report-2018-3