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A comment on Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in California. Parent comment

Re:Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in Cal... by taneq on Tuesday March 27, 2018 @09:23PM (#16694388)
What about the 'safety' driver who paid no attention to the road until after the impact? The dash cam video showed them messing with their phone for the entire duration. They were legally in charge of, and driving, the vehicle. Much as I hate to throw the lowest member of the pecking order under a bus, this was absolutely their responsibility.
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Re:Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in Cal... by TheSpiceIsLife on Tuesday March 27, 2018 @09:51PM (#16694548)
I'm confused why more people here aren't calling the driver out on this.

My understanding is that Uber knows these cars aren't ready and that's why they have a human at the controls.

I would have thought the driver would be instructed to maintain awareness of the road as though he were operating the vehicle and that looking away from the road in a manner that suggests he was using his phone would immediately relieve Uber of any responsibility.

Perhaps the collision still would have happened, but at least the driver would have the defence of "I was paying attention and meeting all the job-role requirements as safety-operator of the vehicle."

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Re:Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in Cal... by taneq on Wednesday March 28, 2018 @04:19AM (#16696250)
If the driver was paying attention but was unable to react in time, then I'd expect the same result as any other time that a commercial driver on public roads is involved in a fatal accident: Some kind of investigation, and if no fault is found, everyone shrugs and it's forgotten because shit happens.
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Re:Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in Cal... by atomical on Wednesday March 28, 2018 @09:36AM (#16697500)
The fault is with Uber because their software should have been able to use LIDAR to detect the person walking in the road.
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Re:Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in Cal... by TheSpiceIsLife on Wednesday March 28, 2018 @04:27AM (#16696290)
Yep.
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Re:Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in Cal... by bdcravens on Tuesday March 27, 2018 @10:41PM (#16694799)
Typically the employee would be criminally negligent, and the employer would be civilly liable. Uber's $20B is a legal war chest, so this was fully anticipated.
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Re:Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit in Cal... by LoSboccacc on Wednesday March 28, 2018 @07:19AM (#16696843)
you all keep calling it 'safety driver' but it was for all the intended purposed since the beginning of this fray the 'scapegoat driver'
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