Walsh asks self-driving car companies to stop testing in Seaport

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is asking self-driving car companies to stop testing their vehicles in the Seaport after an autonomous Uber hit and killed a woman in Arizona.

The crash is believed to be the first pedestrian death associated with the self-driving technology, and even though the preliminary reports show Uber is not at fault, the company is suspending its testing nationwide.

MORE: Woman struck and killed by self-driving Uber vehicle

The 49-year-old woman was hit and killed in Tempe, Arizona.

The police chief said it appears Uber isn’t at fault, and the crash would have been difficult to avoid whether a human was driving or not.

After reviewing video from inside and outside the car, police said the woman darted into traffic from a center median.

The driver who was behind the wheel at the time said it happened so far that his only alert to the collision was the sound of the collision itself.

An Uber spokesperson released a statement and said “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family” and said the company is fully-cooperating with the investigation.

The crash is a reminder that self-driving technology is still in the experimental stages while the government works to figure out how to regulate it.

Optimus Ride and Nutonomy are both based in Boston and have been testing vehicles in the Seaport.
The city asked both companies to pause their testing programs on public streets until the city can work with them to ensure their programs are safe.

Nutonomy and Optimus Ride are required to have two employees in the vehicle during all test on public roads. One of which is a “safety driver” to take over control of the car if needed.

Neither company has reported any crashes or serious safety issues while testing in Boston.

They have yet to respond to the city’s request.

United States Sen. Ed Marky is calling on Uber to fully investigate the crash and share the information with other self-driving developers, as well as the public.

Markey and other Senators have already placed a hold on a Senate bill that could authorize widespread use of autonomous vehicles.

Cox Media Group