Backup driver in 2018 Uber self-driving crash pleads guilty

Companies Uber Technologies Inc FollowJuly 28 (Reuters) - The backup safety driver behind the wheel of a self-driving Uber Technologies (UBER.N) test vehicle that struck and killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018 pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to probation, prosecutors said. The first recorded death involving a self-driving vehicle prompted significant safety concerns about the nascent autonomous vehicle industry. Police said previously the crash was "entirely avoidable" and that Vasquez was streaming "The Voice" TV program at the time of the crash. In 2019, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) faulted Vasquez's inactions and Uber for inadequate attention to safety and decisions in the company's autonomous vehicle development. In 2020, Uber announced the sale of its autonomous driving unit to self-driving car startup Aurora for $4 billion.