We all love technology and new advancements, but not if they are life threatening towards people on the road. A woman was hit and killed last Sunday night by a self-driving operated car by Uber in Tempe, Arizona. The car had a human driver behind the wheel, but when the incident occurred it was in self driving mode. Elaine Herzberg was attempting to cross the road with her bike but then had been hit. According to the police the vehicle was traveling at 40 mph when it struck the middle-aged woman and she died on impact.
On Wednesday authorities released the gut wrenching footage and can be seen online of the incident. The video shows that the safety driver was clearly not paying attention to the road and was distracted. The hands of the driver were also not on the steering wheel because that is advised in a self-driving car and it is only in case of emergency the driver can take control of the wheel easily. The car just drives itself, however it should have detected the woman crossing the street.
Like many self-driving cars, Uber equips its vehicles with lidar sensors — an acronym for light detection and ranging systems — to help the car detect the world around it. Lidar sensors are made to detect objects in the dark up to hundreds of feet but this was not the case.
This accident is a reminder on how technology is still in the works and companies are experimenting trying to find what works. Mechanical failures are bound to happen and that is why we should not have self-driving cars on the road, as well as the government still does not know how to regulate them.
This is a matter of who is responsible. The company or the driver will be held liable and things like this should never happen. Technology is taking over and it is a very scary thing.
If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an automobile accident due to another driver’s negligence, contact my office immediately. As your Ohio car accident attorney, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities. You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 877.944.4373