Consumer Watchdog demands transparency from Uber for autonomous vehicle test

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Consumer Watchdog demands transparency from Uber for autonomous vehicle test

As Uber prepares to test a fleet of self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh, Consumer Watchdog is concerned that regulators are recklessly embracing autonomous technology.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/consumer-watchdog-demands-transparency-from-uber/

By Kelly McSweeney for Robotics | September 9, 2016

Automotive industry stakeholders have touted autonomous cars as being much safer than human drivers. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 94 percent of crashes are caused by human error, so it seems that obvious that adding more automation will make cars safer. However, nonprofit public interest group Consumer Watchdog warns that the rush to deploy self-driving cars is dangerous.

"We're very concerned that there is a real press to rapidly deploy these things too quickly," Consumer Watchdog Privacy Project director John Simpson tells ZDNet. "There needs to be very adequate safety precautions and procedures in place."

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The letter also included a list of questions that he describes as "broader and more philosophical," in an effort to find out more about Uber's long-term vision for robotic cars. For example, "Will Uber's robot car prioritize the safety of the occupants of the vehicle or pedestrians it encounters ?" and "Does Uber have the technology to prevent malicious hackers from seizing control of a driverless vehicle or any of its systems?"

We spoke with Simpson about Consumer Watchdog's trepidation with self-driving vehicles. He says that the main concern is that autonomous features are being overhyped and rolled out too quickly, with minimal testing and oversight because everyone -- even NHTSA -- is too enamored with the idea of self-driving cars.

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