Arizona Bans Uber’s Autonomous Cars

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday the state was banning Uber from testing its autonomous vehicles following the death of a woman who was struck by one of the company’s SUVs last week.

According to Reuters.com, Governor Ducey sent a letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stating that after he viewed the video of the March 18 accident that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, he found it “disturbing and alarming, and it raises many questions about the ability of Uber to continue testing in Arizona.”

“In the best interests of the people of my state, I have directed the Arizona Department of Transportation to suspend Uber’s ability to test and operate autonomous vehicles on Arizona’s public roadways,” Governor Ducey said.

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Before the governor’s request, Uber had already pulled its self-driving cars off the road as a result of the accident. The ride-hailing company is cooperating with the police investigation and will continue working with Arizona government officials to address any concerns they have.

Arizona’s decision to block Uber’s autonomous program hurts the company’s future plans of relying on driverless vehicles, as the state has been a key location for testing and half of the company’s 200 self-driving cars and a staff of hundreds are stationed there.

Uber was forced to move the autonomous program to Arizona from California after regulators shut down the self-driving fleet for not having the proper permits.

The decision by Governor Ducey to ban self-driving cars is a distinct change from the way Uber was welcomed in late 2016 when officials in Phoenix hung a banner on a building supporting the company.