Uber Plans to End Self-Driving Car Tests in California Following Fatal Car Crash

Uber reportedly has decided to end their self-driving car tests in California following a fatal car crash in Phoenix.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that ride-sharing company Uber will be shutting down self-driving car tests in California following a fatal crash in Phoenix, Arizona, recently which took the life of a female pedestrian. The company chose to stop the tests by letting their state permit in California allowing them to test their vehicles expire. Uber will reportedly be required to get a new permit and deal with any investigations surrounding the recent crash before continuing tests in the state according to the California DMV.

DMV Deputy Director Brian Soublet said in a statement, “Any application for a new permit will need to address any follow-up analysis or investigations from the recent crash in Arizona and may also require a meeting with the department.” Arizona Governor Doug Ducey also suspended the company’s license to test self-driving cars in the state, making two U.S. states which have now prohibited the company from testing the vehicles.

The decision follows the fatal crash in Phoenix, in which 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg was walking a bicycle outside the lines of a crosswalk when the self-driving vehicle operated by Rafaela Vasquez hit Herzberg, who later died in a hospital. The company voluntary suspended their tests in Arizona, California, Pittsburgh, and Toronto following the crash. Uber stated that they chose not to re-apply for a license in California “with the understanding that our self-driving vehicles would not operate in the state in the immediate future.”

Uber is still allowed to operate in Pennsylvania, the state said in a statement that they will “ensure any restart of testing is done with safety as the top priority.” Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation said that the state is watching developments in Arizona and will decide to do based on Uber’s operation in the state. Tempe police, the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are all currently investigating the Uber crash.