Uber Self-Driving Cars Are On the Streets Under Human Control

The fatal crash that happened in Arizona four months ago, which resulted in the death of a 49-year old woman due to a self-driving Uber car, is still fresh in everyone’s minds and currently under investigation. That said, Uber has decided to put its cars back on the road.

Still, the vehicles won’t be driven in autonomous mode and will instead be operated by human drivers branded “mission specialists”. The cars will host two of the mission specialists: one will sit behind the wheel, while the other will take the passenger seat, the latter’s job being to record any significant events.

The cars have been updated with an active driver monitoring system as well. The system keeps the safety of the driver in check while they are focusing on the car itself. This system also includes a camera that faces the driver and issues warnings if it detects inattentiveness from the driver.

At the time of the fatal crash, the emergency braking and collision avoidance factory settings had been disabled, even if the car’s radar had been aware of the incoming impact and identified the need to brake. In order to rectify that, Uber has stated that they will not disable those systems on its vehicles anymore.

Related: ✍In-Car Video Shows Reaction Moments Before Fatal Uber Crash✍