Driver Was Streaming The Voice When Uber Self-Driving Car Crashed, Say Police
Source: The Guardian
Rafaela Vasquez looked up half a second before Arizona crash that killed woman, report says. The safety driver behind the wheel of a self-driving Uber that hit and killed a pedestrian was streaming the television show The Voice on her phone at the time of the crash, police have said.
The collision that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, who was crossing the road at night in Tempe, Arizona, was entirely avoidable, a police report said, if Rafaela Vasquez had been paying attention.
Instead, she repeatedly looked down at her phone, glancing up just half a second before the car hit Herzberg. Police said she could faces charges of vehicular manslaughter, but it would be for prosecutors to decide.
The Uber car was in autonomous mode at the time of the crash, but Uber, like other self-driving car developers, requires a back-up driver in the car to intervene when the autonomous system fails or a tricky driving situation occurs...MORE..
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/22/driver-was-streaming-the-voice-when-uber-self-driving-car-crashed-say-police
- Investigators examine the Uber vehicle involved in the crash in Tempe, Arizona.
bucolic_frolic
(43,567 posts)when you are the backup driver to a self-driving machine that (almost) does all the work
appalachiablue
(41,221 posts)Difficult? Then what was the backup driver there for and being paid for on this job? When driving a vehicle the lives of people and animals are at stake, as well as property, all of which the company knows. Indefensible, reckless behavior.
cstanleytech
(26,368 posts)disabled before she drove it.
If they did not then its more Ubers fault than that of Vasquez however if Vasquez was aware then Vasquez will probably be charged though considering Herzberg was crossing the street illegally at the time I doubt the prosecutor will seek much if any jail time.
appalachiablue
(41,221 posts)also knowing that if turned on it can malfunction for any number of reasons.
- "That report showed Uber had disabled the emergency braking system in the Volvo, and Vasquez began braking less than a second after hitting Herzberg."
-"The Uber car was in autonomous mode at the time of the crash, but Uber, like other self-driving car developers, requires a back-up driver in the car to intervene when the autonomous system fails or a tricky driving situation occurs."
- "Uber declined to comment on the police report. The company prohibits the use of any mobile device by safety drivers while the self-driving cars are on a public road, and drivers are told they can be fired for violating this rule."
- "According to a report last month by the US National Transportation Safety Board, which is also investigating the crash, Vasquez told federal investigators she had been monitoring the self-driving interface in the car and that neither her personal nor business phones were in use until after the crash."
Along with inattentive & irresponsible on the job, Vasquez LIED about not using a mobile device which is cause for firing by Uber.
That the victim was a homeless woman was mentioned here; those people are always causing trouble! Actually the residency status of the woman killed by neglect is irrelevant. It could have been a kid or brother of a millionaire or a junkie crossing the highway that night.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/22/driver-was-streaming-the-voice-when-uber-self-driving-car-crashed-say-police
cstanleytech
(26,368 posts)Probably the same reason my pharmacy claims to have faxed my doctor 6 times for paperwork to get my diabetic test strips filled but the doctors office claims they have received nothing and that reason is.........a failure to communicate.
bucolic_frolic
(43,567 posts)you might or might not be needed for one split second? I just don't see how anyone could be that attentive. Most drivers aren't even when they're driving.
appalachiablue
(41,221 posts)"The collision that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, who was crossing the road at night in Tempe, Arizona, was entirely avoidable, a police report said, if Rafaela Vasquez had been paying attention."
jiminvegas
(104 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,207 posts)They also have the radio and weather to monitor. And if something malfunctions, the pilots know they will take control. Part of the issue with cars is many drivers wouldnt be ready to take control.
MicaelS
(8,747 posts)Then sue the shit out of her.
cstanleytech
(26,368 posts)for crossing illegally.
I am not saying or implying that Vasquez is without blame in this but rather just pointing out it mitigates some of the liability.
brush
(53,978 posts)faulty. How do you keep them engaged with their eyes on the road when they have nothing to do 99.99999% of the timecontinually electronic pin pricks in their seats?
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Coventina
(27,227 posts)JI7
(89,290 posts)because they will start to trust it more because it will become reliable to them.
i can seriously see people even deciding to take a nap .
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Though I'm sure the producers of The Voice are grateful for the free plug anyway.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)pansypoo53219
(21,016 posts)TheFrenchRazor
(2,116 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,307 posts)attention. There is just no excuse for her not to have been having her eyes on the road, especially driving in a place with pedestrian traffic and crosswalks. Self-driving cars are still in the testing phase. You never hear of test pilots taking their hands off the controls of experimental aircraft.