An Uber self-driving vehicle has struck and killed a woman in Arizona, police say.
- Uber self-driving vehicle strikes, kills pedestrian in Arizona
- Uber expressed condolences on Twitter, says it's cooperating
- Report: May be 1st time self-driving vehicle has killed person on public road
The vehicle was in autonomous mode with a person behind the wheel when it hit the pedestrian, who was not in a crosswalk, Tempe, Ariz., police said.
The woman was taken to a hospital, where she died. Her identity has not been released.
"The vehicle involved is one of Uber's self-driving vehicles," Tempe Police said in a statement. "It was in autonomous mode at the time of the collision, with a vehicle operator behind the wheel."
The New York Times reports that her death appears to be the first of a pedestrian struck by an autonomous vehicle on public roads.
Autonomous mode means the vehicle is driving on its own. During tests, a person sits behind the wheel as a safeguard. Uber is conducting tests of autonomous vehicles in Arizona, Pittsburgh, Toronto and other areas. Uber said it has stopped testing the vehicles in the United States and Canada.
Police said the crash happened overnight Sunday to Monday but didn't say whether it happened before or after midnight Eastern time.
Uber expressed condolences via Twitter and said it's cooperating with authorities in an investigation.
Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We’re fully cooperating with @TempePolice and local authorities as they investigate this incident.
— Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) March 19, 2018
The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a small team to Tempe to investigate what happened.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.