streaming hulu show just
Uber Driver Was Streaming Hulu Show Just Before Self-Driving Car Crash
Police in Tempe, Arizona said evidence showed the "safety" driver behind the wheel of a self-driving Uber was distracted and streaming a television show on her phone right up until about the time of a fatal accident in March, deeming the crash that rocked the nascent industry "entirely avoidable." A 318-page report from the Tempe Police Department, released late Thursday in response to a public records request, said the driver, Rafaela Vasquez, repeatedly looked down and not at the road, glancing up just a half second before the car hit 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, who was crossing the street at night. According to the report, Vasquez could face charges of vehicle manslaughter. Police said that, based on testing, the crash was "deemed entirely avoidable" if Vasquez had been paying attention. Police obtained records from Hulu, an online service for streaming television shows and movies, which showed Vasquez's account was playing the television talent show "The Voice" the night of the crash for about 42 minutes, ending at 9:59 p.m., which "coincides with the approximate time of the collision," the report says.
- North America > United States > Arizona > Maricopa County > Tempe (0.26)
- North America > United States > Arizona > Yavapai County (0.05)
- Transportation > Passenger (1.00)
- Transportation > Ground > Road (1.00)
- Law Enforcement & Public Safety > Crime Prevention & Enforcement (1.00)
Uber Driver Was Streaming Hulu Show Just Before Self-Driving Car Crash: Police Report
According to a report last month by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is also investigating the crash, Vasquez told federal investigators she had been monitoring the self-driving interface in the car and that neither her personal nor business phones were in use until after the crash. That report showed Uber had disabled the emergency braking system in the Volvo, and Vasquez began braking less than a second after hitting Herzberg.
- Law Enforcement & Public Safety > Crime Prevention & Enforcement (1.00)
- Automobiles & Trucks (1.00)
- Transportation > Passenger (0.85)
- Transportation > Ground > Road (0.85)