Tempe Police Department
A still from the footage showing the vehicle operator.
- The first footage from a fatal self-driving car crash involving one of Uber's vehicles has been released by the police.
- It is believed to be the first time an autonomous vehicle has killed a pedestrian.
- The video shows the vehicle operator looking away from the road, and the pedestrian walking across the road.
Police have released footage from the moments before a fatal crash involving one of Uber's self-driving cars and a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona.
The video, which was captured by the vehicle, shows both the forward view from the front of the car when the pedestrian enters the roadway, and the reaction of Uber's vehicle operator in the driver's seat directly before the collision. However, the footage stops before the crash itself.
The footage from the interior of the vehicle shows the Uber's vehicle operator, who was not controlling the vehicle at the time, periodically looking down and away from the road, ahead of the collision.
The footage is available to watch below, but be warned: Its contents are disturbing.
On Sunday night at around 10 p.m. local time, one of Uber's autonomous vehicles hit Elaine Herzberg, 49, in what is believed to be the first time a self-driving vehicle has killed a pedestrian. Uber has grounded its fleet of self-driving vehicles following the collision, and authorities are investigating.
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said: "The video is disturbing and heartbreaking to watch, and our thoughts continue to be with Elaine's loved ones. Our cars remain grounded, and we're assisting local, state and federal authorities in any way we can."
The footage shows Herzberg emerge from the shadows on the left lane of the road, pushing a bicycle, as the vehicle drove along the right lane. Police have previously said the vehicle did not meaningfully slow down before impact. It's not yet clear if the vehicle's sensors had picked her up ("lidar," a key self-driving car technology that uses lasers to detect obstacles, does not require daylight to function).
Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this week, Tempe police chief Sylvia Moir said, "I suspect preliminarily it appears that the Uber would likely not be at fault in this incident."
"It's very clear it would have been difficult to avoid this collision in any kind of mode [autonomous or human-driven] based on how she came from the shadows right into the roadway," she also said.
