Uber wants to resume self-driving biltests on public roads

Among the other precautions, San Francisco-based Uber will keep the autonomous vehicle system engaged at all times and enable Volvo's automatic emergency braking system to backup. (Image Source: AP)

Almost eight months after one of his autonomous test vehicles beat and killed an Arizona pedestrian, Uber wants to continue testing on public roads. The company has filed an application with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to test in Pittsburgh and has issued a long safety report pledging to put two human backup drivers in each vehicle and take a number of other precautions to make the vehicles safe. 19659006] Company employees acknowledge that they have a long way to go to regain public trust after March 18 in Tempe, Arizona, which killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, as she crossed a dark road off the lines of a crossroads. The police said that Uber's backup driver in the autonomous Volvo SUV was streaming the television show "The Voice" on the phone and looking down before crashing. The National Transport Safety Authority said the autonomous Volvo operating system discovered Herzberg approx. six seconds before it hit her but did not stop because the system used to automatically use brakes in potentially dangerous situations had been deactivated. A Volvo emergency brake system had also been switched off.

"Our goal is to really work to regain trust and work to help move the whole industry forward," said Noah Zych, Uber's system safety chief for self-propelled cars. "We think the right thing to do is be open and transparent about the things we do." Among the other precautions, San Francisco-based Uber will keep the autonomous vehicle system engaged at all times and enable Volvo's automatic emergency braking system as backup.

In addition, Uber demands more technical training and expertise from employees behind the vehicle's wheels, according to a 70-page safety report released by the company on Friday. The report comes after the shipping company has turned off autonomous vehicle tests to conduct an internal review of the security procedures, as well as an external review of the LeClairRyan risk management company.

Pittsburgh is home to the Ubers Autonomous Vehicle Development Center, making it a logical choice for the resumption of robotic tests. "We cooperate with the city, with officials, and are very eager to ensure that we get back to the road in self-driving mode in consultation and close cooperation with them," says Miriam Chaum, Head of Public Policy for Uber's Self-Driving Vehicle. it discusses bringing their self-propelled cars back to Arizona, California and Toronto, Ontario, its other test sites. Arizona suspended the company's license to test after the accident.

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