Uber self-driving cars can be tested in California
The move comes after an autonomous car struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018
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The California Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday added Uber to a list of companies with permits to test self-driving cars in the state, according to the ride-hailing app.
The move comes nearly two years after an autonomous car struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, because the employee supervising the drive was distracted and apparently did not see the victim crossing the street in front of the vehicle.
San Francisco, home to Uber's headquarters, "is a great city to gather key learnings for self-driving technology given its complex and ever-changing environment," Sarah Abboud, a spokesperson for Uber's self-driving car effort, told FOX Business in a statement Wednesday.
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Abboud added that Uber does not currently have plans to resume autonomous testing, though receiving a permit "through the California DMV is a critical step toward that end in Uber's home city."
The California DMV added Uber's Advanced Technology Group (ATG) to a list of approved autonomous car testers in the state including Lyft, Tesla, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Mercedes. A number of telecommunications and tech companies such as Qualcomm and Apple are also on the list.
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"Uber fulfilled all the requirements to receive a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California with a safety driver behind the wheel," the California DMV said in a statement to FOX Business. "The company also presented additional documentation detailing changes made to their autonomous vehicle safety program and testing protocols, which the DMV took into account when evaluating the permit application."
"The safety of the motoring public remains the DMV’s top priority, and the department’s autonomous vehicle regulations provide a framework to facilitate the safe testing and deployment of this technology on California public roads," the DMV added.
A self-driving Volvo vehicle, purchased by Uber, moves through an intersection in Scottsdale, Arizona, Dec. 1, 2017. (REUTERS/Natalie Behring/File Photo)
Uber's autonomous test vehicles were involved in 37 crashes in the 18 months, including 33 that involved another vehicle striking test vehicles, before the fatal March accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Nov. 5.
In one incident, the test vehicle struck a bent bicycle lane bollard that partially occupied the test vehicle’s lane of travel. In another incident, the operator took control to avoid a rapidly approaching oncoming vehicle that entered its lane of travel. The vehicle operator steered away and struck a parked car.
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Since the March 2018 crash, the company has "adopted critical program improvements to further prioritize safety" and said it deeply values "the thoroughness of the NTSB’s investigation into the crash and look forward to reviewing their recommendations," Abboud said in a statement at the time.
California also started allowing employees who work for ride-share apps like Uber and Lyft to set their own wages in January as the state's AB5 law, which recognizes gig workers as employees, goes into effect.