Uber’s joy of sending their self-driving cars on San Francisco roads was short-lived. A couple of hours after the pilot program began, one of their vehicles was filmed running a red light. Now, California DMV counsel is threatening to take legal action if Uber doesn’t stop testing and get the appropriate permit #automagic
Yesterday, we were talking about Uber’s refusal to get a test permit for autonomous vehicles since their cars always have a human behind the wheel. Well, their obstinacy may not last long; California DMV has already sent a letter to Uber self-driving chief Anthony Levandowski insisting they terminate the program and apply for a legal permit like every other car-maker with driverless vehicles has done. Otherwise, the counsel will seek an injunction.
This ultimatum came after YouTuber Charles Rotter uploaded a video of a self-driving Uber running a red light, seconds before a pedestrian is seen stepping on the crosswalk. The San Francisco Examiner published the video, adding that it came from the dashboard camera of a Luxor Cab.
It wasn’t the only incident of this kind spotted on the first day of Uber testing. Annie Gaus, a freelance writer from San Francisco, tweeted:
Just passed a ‘self-driving’ Uber that lurched into the intersection on Van Ness, on a red, nearly hitting my Lyft.
— Annie Gaus (@AnnieGaus) 14 decembrie 2016
She also added an image as proof of what she had just witnessed:
(Not enough time to get a good shot, but…whoops!) pic.twitter.com/XK49nMF2Q4
— Annie Gaus (@AnnieGaus) 14 decembrie 2016
Uber simply responded that the car was operated by a person at the time of the first incident and the driver is suspended during their investigation, reports Wired. We’ll have to wait and see if they stand by this statement as local authorities keep pressing them to take the cars off the street.
Follow TechTheLead on Google News to get the news first.
