As many Pittsburgh residents know, Uber has invested heavily into their self-driving fleet and they have put a lot of these vehicles out on our streets here in the Steel City. As is expected, some problems have arisen and Uber is working towards fixing these issues. But that hasn’t stopped accident from happening that involve their self-driving vehicles. Another one of these accidents, and it is still unclear what actually happened in the lead-up to the crash.
The accident occurred in the Strip District of Pittsburgh on a four-lane road. Uber says that their self-driving car did nothing wrong, and the driver of the other vehicle disagrees. According to that driver, he was attempting to make a left turn as the self-driving car was attempting a right turn. The two vehicles were approaching from opposite directions.
The driver of the other car made his turn, but then the Uber self-driving car plowed into his vehicle at the intersection. He claims the turn signals for both vehicles were on, a fact that wasn’t disputed by the safety official that was in the self-driving car at the time of the accident. That same official also said that the self-driving system was engaged and functional at the time of the accident.
Given the lack of details here, it is difficult to say exactly who is at fault. The person turning left should make sure everything is clear before making a turn. At the same time, there are serious questions about the safety of self-driving cars and the accuracy of the systems that these vehicles use.
Source: ArsTechnica, “Uber self-driving car crashes into another car in Pittsburgh,” Accessed March 16, 2018