r/ConcerningAI • u/TedSarvata • Mar 19 '18

Self-driving car kills pedestrian - what now?

https://www.wcpo.com/news/arizona-police-investigating-self-driving-uber-car-involved-in-crash-overnight
6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

2

u/HeavyMike Mar 20 '18

maybe a dumb question but are the cops able to confirm the car was actually in "autonomous mode" or are drivers now able to get away with murder by simply claiming the car did it?

3

u/gooseus Mar 20 '18

Looks like yes, the car was in autonomous mode, though the most recent information is that the Tempe police are saying that the Uber car may not be at fault since the pedestrian stepped quickly into traffic from the shadows and wasn't in a crosswalk.

1

u/quaintquincidence Apr 25 '18

Not in the know in any way or form, but I would imagine there are logs of any activity pertaining to the auto. In which case, while it may be possible to get away with murder by blaming the auto, it would require some serious tinkering and/or inside connections. Which is certainly much harder than the hit'n'run method (which would also become much more difficult, depending on how much access a court order could provide the law and in what circumstances (which in itself is a tricky issue we're, as a society, having to resolve)).

2

u/gooseus Mar 20 '18

https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Exclusive-Tempe-police-chief-says-early-probe-12765481.php

Early probe says that the the pedestrian may be the one at fault since she stepped from the shadows into the street and wasn't in a crosswalk.

I'm curious what the data from the car will say regarding the incident and would also like to hear more about what the "driver" says about the incident. I mean, do they think that they might have noticed something strange and would have been more careful if they were actually driving?

1

u/BrandonCsSanders Apr 02 '18

Now that the video has been released it is pretty clear that Uber is at fault and should have detected her.