TEMPE, AZ — A new federal report into last year's fatal crash involving a self-driving car in Tempe says the Uber vehicle couldn't anticipate the actions of jaywalkers.
The National Transportation Safety Board report also says the SUV wasn't designed to slam on the brakes to reduce the severity of an unavoidable accident.
The crash happened over a year ago, when one of Uber's self-driving SUVs hit and killed Elaine Herzberg as she was crossing mid-block near Mill Avenue and Curry Road. Her family filed a $10 million notice of claim with the City of Tempe, saying that a brick pathway "is clearly designed to accommodate people to cross" at the crash scene.
The Yavapai County Attorney cleared Uber in the deadly self-driving car crash. The Yavapai County attorney reviewed the case due to a potential conflict of interest because the Maricopa County Attorney's Office had partnered with Uber in the past.
Yavapai County has returned the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for consideration as to whether the driver of the Uber, Rafaela Vasquez, should face criminal charges.
