A Latina driver of an Uber vehicle in autonomous mode who fatally struck a woman in Arizona in 2018, pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was sentenced to three years of supervised probation.
Identified as Rafaela Vasquez, 49, pleaded guilty before a Maricopa County Superior Court judge in Phoenix for the incident that occurred on the night of March 18, 2018.
The Hispanic woman was working as a backup driver of an Uber autonomous vehicle when she ran over and killed Elaine Herzbergwho was 49 years old at the time, in Tempe, Arizona.
According to the police report, At the time of the incident, Vásquez was distracted watching the program “The Voice” on her cell phone.
The Arizona Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against Uber after the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the main cause of the accident was due to the fact that the Latina was not able to control the car because she was distracteddespite the same report said that the company had disabled the vehicle’s emergency braking system.
Since the braking system is deactivated, the carwhich operated in autonomous mode, he was not able to anticipate the victim’s movements and brake abruptly.
This case captured the attention of US citizens and called into question the safety of the use of autonomous vehicles in metropolitan areas.
Initially, Vasquez pleaded not guilty, stating that the victim, who was illegally crossing the street with his bicycle, simply “came out of nowhere.”.
This is not the only case involving an Uber autonomous vehicle in Arizona. In 2017 another Uber rolled over on its side also in the Tempe area. In this incident no one was injured.
Despite the accidents at Uber and other companies, they continue to bet on the use of this innovative technologywhich relies on sensors and control systems to steer the vehicle, in numerous cities across the United States.
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