From Health 201FailSystems

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Incident

Uber automated test vehicle kills pedestrian while safety operator is distracted (non-clinical analogue)

Non-clinical analogue. The human operator meant to back up an automated driving system was looking at her phone; the NTSB cited automation complacency.

Sources checked when written 26 September 2026

What happened

NON-CLINICAL ANALOGUE. An Uber automated test vehicle travelling at 45 mph struck a pedestrian; the automated driving system detected her 5.6 seconds before impact. The NTSB (report HAR-19-03) found the probable cause was the operator's failure to monitor the driving environment and the automated system because she was visually distracted throughout the trip by her personal phone. Contributing factors included Uber's inadequate safety procedures, ineffective oversight of vehicle operators, and a lack of adequate mechanisms for addressing operators' automation complacency.[1]

Documented harm

Non-clinical: death of the pedestrian.

What it teaches

Sources

  1. Collision Between Vehicle Controlled by Developmental Automated Driving System and Pedestrian, Tempe, Arizona, March 18, 2018 (HAR-19-03). National Transportation Safety Board, 2019. Primary Official report · link checked 2026-09-26

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