Fatal Uber Autonomous Vehicle Accident in Tempe Raises Safety and Regulatory Concerns

Uber and Volvo are collaborating on the production of autonomous vehicles. The vehicle involved in a fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona, was a Volvo XC90 operating in full self‑driving mode.

The incident marks a turning point for autonomous cars: for the first time, a fully autonomous vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian.

The crash occurred at night around 10 p.m. in Tempe, where Uber’s driver‑less fleet has been carrying passengers for over a year.

According to local police, 49‑year‑old Elaine Herzberg was walking in the roadway when a gray Uber‑operated Volvo traveling at roughly 40 mph hit and ran over her. Herzberg, who was homeless, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Although the car was autonomous, Uber operator Rafaela Vasquez, 44, was seated in the rear of the vehicle.

Tempe Police Chief Roland Elkoc said investigators have not observed any signs of the vehicle slowing down at the moment of impact and that the investigation will determine fault and how safety can be improved.

Major automakers—including General Motors, BMW, Ford, Tesla, and Toyota—plan to offer autonomous vehicles in the coming years. Silicon Valley firms such as Intel and Google have also invested heavily in the technology, promising higher safety through software and sensors that can perceive the environment faster than humans.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators examined the Uber vehicle involved in the Sunday fatal crash.

Earlier this month, Uber began regular autonomous truck operations in Arizona after the testing phase, with a licensed safety operator in the cab.

Most testing indicates the technology is safe, but autonomous driving is still under research. Many tests are not conducted on public roads, and the technology is still learning to drive. The Sunday death has prompted questions about whether autonomous cars belong on public roads.

Consumer lawyer Neama Rahmani said Uber is responsible for ensuring the safety of its tools on the road and that the company should not deploy vehicles without full verification and testing.

This is not the first collision involving autonomous vehicles. Google reported an accident in March 2016, and there have been at least three incidents involving Tesla’s autopilot, one of which was fatal. Uber’s own autonomous vehicle was involved in another Tempe crash last year without serious injuries, and a recent collision in Pittsburgh involved an Uber self‑driving car.

According to Quartz, Uber’s vehicles in Pittsburgh have been involved in other alarming incidents, such as driving the wrong way on a one‑way street and ignoring traffic signals, though no injuries occurred.

In December 2016, shortly after Uber launched autonomous cars in San Francisco, a dashboard camera captured a Volvo SUV running a red light long after the signal turned red and approaching pedestrians.

Consumer advocate David Friedman said the tragedy highlights the risk of deploying autonomous cars on public roads before safety can be guaranteed.

Following the fatal incident, regulators such as the NTSB and the Federal Highway Administration have announced investigations and the deployment of special investigation teams to Tempe.

The NTSB statement emphasized that the investigation will examine interactions among the vehicle, the environment, other road users, and vulnerable participants like pedestrians and cyclists.

The FHWA is coordinating with Uber, Volvo, and federal, state, and local authorities regarding the crash.

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey issued a statement pledging to work with the Senate on legislation that includes safety protections for autonomous vehicles, emphasizing the need for robust safety, cybersecurity, and privacy rules.

Tempe police said Uber and its drivers are cooperating fully with the investigation, which is still in its early stages.

Police noted that Uber’s vehicles are equipped with video cameras that capture the accident from multiple angles, including external views and the driver’s seat; the footage has not yet been released publicly.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir confirmed that video shows Herzberg emerging from a shadow, making it clear that, regardless of autonomous or manual mode, avoiding such a collision would have been difficult.

Uber has paused its self‑driving operations in all test cities—including Tempe, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto. Toyota has similarly suspended its autonomous vehicle projects on public roads following the fatality.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company is considering the victims’ families and will do everything possible to assist police in understanding what happened. Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of keeping public roads safe.

Mitchell released a statement supporting Uber’s decision to temporarily halt testing in Tempe until the incident is fully examined and understood, calling it a responsible step.

First published March 20 at 12:05 PT.

Update at 3:25 PM: Added information about Senator Ed Markey and Toyota’s temporary suspension of public‑road autonomous vehicle programs.