Driverless Uber runs red light, almost hits pedestrian
Dash cam captured a driverless Uber running a red light and almost hitting a pedestrian just hours after the company released its self-driving fleet in California.
A cab captured the near-miss and the video showed the Volvo fleeing through the crossing and not stopping until it approached a red light further up the street.
The mishap happened in San Francisco within hours of Uber welcoming passengers to use their driverless car pickup service.
Despite the new technology, Uber stated there must be one person in the car to monitor the operation of the vehicle.
The company released their new fleet without filing for an autonomous testing permit with the California DMV.
The DMV's counsel, Brian Soublet, said that if Uber does not immediately seek a permit, they will take legal action and seek an injunction, Wired reported.
Anthony Levandowski, Uber’s vice president of self-driving technology acknowledged the issue and said everything is fine because the company has an engineer in every car who is ready to take over the wheel when needed.
“All of our vehicles are compliant with applicable federal and state laws,” an Uber spokeswoman said in a statement to Consumer Reports.
“The rules apply to cars that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them.
“For us, it’s still early days and our cars are not yet ready to drive without a person monitoring them.”
The company rolled out its first fleet, which are XC90 Volvos equipped with cameras and wireless technology, in Pennsylvania earlier in September.
“The promise of self-driving is core to our mission of reliable transportation, everywhere for everyone,” Levandowski said in a statement on Uber's website.
Customers will be able to cancel and request a regular driver in the app if they’re matched with a driverless car.
A large touch screen showing the route will also let passengers take selfies from a camera facing the back seat and will soon be able to share them on social media.
