Ride-hailing giant Uber recently announced that it is temporarily halting the test of its self-driving Volvo SUVs after one unit was involved in a crash. Reports revealed that the Uber car was in self-driving mode when the crash occurred. Photos of the crash were posted online showing the Uber car on its right side, while another vehicle was badly damaged.
A spokesperson for the Tempe, Arizona police department said that the crash occurred when one vehicle did not yield to the Uber car when doing a left turn. The police department added that no injuries were reported and that their initial investigation revealed it was the fault of the other car.
Uber suspends self-driving car program after Arizona crash https://t.co/8x0YjLAbJi pic.twitter.com/YG3PYvjoTh
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) March 25, 2017
One of the photos posted on several social media platform shows the Uber car on its side. This led many to believe that it appears to be a high-impact crash. Google's self-driving car division Waymo has had a handful of accidents on private roads but most of which are minor incidents, according to Bloomberg.
In a statement released to the public, Uber spokeswoman Josie Montenegro said, "There was a person behind the wheel. It is uncertain at this time if they were controlling the vehicle at the time of the collision."
Uber started fielding self-driving test cars in Pittsburgh last year. The company later expanded its test site to Arizona after its attempt to field self-driving cars in San Francisco was botched by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
The recent incident came is as Uber is facing a lot of heat regarding company labor practices. Several stories about workplace ethics and employee mistreatment have been circulating on several social media platforms and news portals. In recent weeks, a handful of Uber executives, including President Jeff Jones, have left the company.
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