NeoGAF - View Single Post - All Uber self-driving cars ordered off roads by California DMV due to multiple errors
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QuoteUber blames humans for self-driving car traffic offenses as California orders halt
Regulators ordered Uber to take self-driving cars off roads in San Francisco and company suspends drivers after vehicles were caught running red lights
QuoteCalifornia regulators ordered Uber to remove its self-driving vehicles from the road on the same day that the companys vehicles were caught running red lights violations the company immediately blamed on human error.
QuoteA video posted by Charles Rotter, an operations manager at Luxor, a traditional cab company, shows one of Ubers computer-controlled cars plowing through a pedestrian crosswalk in downtown about four seconds after the light turned red. Elsewhere, a photo from a San Francisco writer showed one of the Uber vehicles entering an intersection against a red light.
People could die, Rotter said in an interview later. This is obviously not ready for primetime.
The traffic violations and threat of legal action are a significant blow to Uber in its home town, where the California department of motor vehicles has said that Uber requires permits to test the technology on its roads.
Despite that stated mandate from a government agency, Uber declared in a blogpost that it did not believe it needed a testing permit to launch self-driving vehicles in San Francisco, arguing that the rules dont apply since the cars have people in them monitoring movements.
Quote"Just passed a 'self-driving' Uber that lurched into the intersection on Van Ness, on a red, nearly hitting my Lyft."https://twitter.com/AnnieGaus/status/809092604503560192
QuoteThe Uber car sort of jutted out into the intersection, she told the Guardian by phone, noting that she and her Lyft driver were both taken aback. It was close enough that we were both kind of like, Woah. Its close enough that you kind of react and are sort of rattled.
QuoteAn Uber spokesperson said both cars running red lights were not part of the pilot and were not carrying customers.
These incidents were due to human error. This is why we believe so much in making the roads safer by building self-driving Ubers, the statement said. The drivers involved have been suspended while we continue to investigate.
The company did not immediately respond to questions about the states order to remove the cars from the road.
QuoteAsked how the San Francisco police department would respond to a self-driving Uber running a red light, officer Giselle Talkoff said: I dont even know. I guess we could pull them over.
QuoteA sergeant with the police traffic division said his department was not even aware that Uber had started using autonomous cars in San Francisco.Uber gets litigious in responsehttps://www.theguardian.com/technolo...thical-tactics
Rotter argued that the technology company should be held responsible for sending the vehicles out on the road despite government objections.
What this company has done is start operating illegally and push for permission later.
QuoteSelf-driving cars: Uber's open defiance of California shines light on brazen tactics
Intense fight with the state, ignited after cars were caught running red lights, exposed illegal and unethical tactics the company has used for years, critics say
QuoteUber has launched an aggressive battle with California over its controversial self-driving cars, with regulators and consumer advocates accusing the corporation of flagrantly violating the law, endangering public safety and mistreating drivers.
The intense fight with the state which ignited hours after numerous self-driving cars were caught running red lights in Ubers home town has exposed what critics say are the unethical and illegal tactics that the company has repeatedly used to grow its business.
QuoteHow many people are they going to kill before they understand theyre not doing the right thing? said John M Simpson, privacy project director with Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit that has called for Uber to face consequences for side-stepping regulations. If youre going to use public highways as your own private laboratory, youve got an obligation to follow the rules.
Ubers open defiance of California regulators marks the latest case of a sharing economy corporation ignoring government under the guise of disruption and innovation. Uber has long claimed that it is a technology platform and not a transportation company and thus does not have to classify its drivers as employees or follow traditional taxicab regulations.
QuoteThe San Francisco self-driving car scandal centers on Ubers Volvo XC90s, which can navigate on their own while licensed drivers sit at the wheel and take control when necessary. The company first piloted semi-autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh in August.
QuoteOne San Francisco Uber driver, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, followed a self-driving car for about 15 minutes on Wednesday and filmed its movements. The footage shows multiple minor violations or potentially dangerous moves, such as failing to fully brake at a stop sign or cutting off a bus.
QuoteIts a human error, but the vehicle and the technology didnt compensate, he said. The technology itself wasnt able to avoid running the red light.
QuoteTaborek said publicly admonishing the operators was another example of Uber mistreating drivers. I would take anything Uber says with massive grains of salt ... Id be willing to bet good money that the technology is at fault.
QuoteConsumer Watchdog also called for criminal charges against Ubers CEO Travis Kalanick for violating DMV requirements.If Uber fudge up self-driving cars for us in the pursuit of profit...
This is essentially driving without a license, Simpson said. Its really unconscionable.
