Uber’s string of bad luck has dominated headlines for the past few months, facing lawsuits from the likes of Google and getting critiqued for its sexist workplace. It’s now dealing with its biggest setback yet, forced to suspend its self-driving car program in Tempe, Arizona after one of its vehicles got involved in a serious crash.
Photos posted by Fresco News user Mark Beach brought the incident to light via Twitter, showcasing one of Uber’s Volvos on its side next to a smashed up car with dents and broken windows. Based on the position of the autonomous vehicle, it’s safe to assume that this was a pretty serious high-impact collision.
Uber later confirmed that the accident did actually occur and there was no one in the back seat at the time. It’s now suspending its tests in Arizona until it completes its own internal investigation into the matter. Tempe police information officer Josie Montenegro told Bloomberg that the self-driving Volvo wasn’t responsible for the crash.
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As per Montenegro, another car failed to yield to the Uber vehicle, leading to the collision. No injuries have been reported, although there was someone behind the wheel in the autonomous car. It’s not clear right now whether they were controlling the vehicle when the accident occurred.
Uber kickstarted its autonomous car program in Pittsburgh last year. It ran into controversy in December 2016 when it was banned from conducting tests in San Francisco because of not getting the required permits. More recently, Alphabet subsidiary Waymo accused Uber subsidiary Otto of stealing design patents.