A woman is believed to have become the first pedestrian killed by a self-driving car, prompting Uber to suspending testing of its autonomous vehicles.
Police in a Phoenix suburb said a self-driving vehicle struck and killed the woman overnight Sunday (local time).
The vehicle was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel when the accident occurred, Tempe police Sergeant Ronald Elcock said.
The woman, whose name has not been released, died of her injuries at a hospital.
Uber's testing has been going on for months in the Phoenix area, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto as automakers and technology companies compete to be the first with the technology.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi expressed condolences on Twitter and said the company was working with local law enforcement on the investigation.
The US government has voluntary guidelines for companies that want to test autonomous vehicles, leaving much of the regulation up to states.
The US Department of Transportation is considering other voluntary guidelines that it says will help foster innovation.
But Transportation Secretary Elaine Chaos also has said technology and automobile companies need to allay public fears of self-driving vehicles, citing a poll showing that 78 per cent of people fear riding in autonomous vehicles
The number of US states considering legislation related to autonomous vehicles gradually has increased each year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2017 alone, 33 states introduced legislation.
California is among those that require manufacturers to report any incidents to the motor vehicle department during the autonomous vehicle testing phase. As of early March, the agency received 59 such reports.
AP
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