Arizona Suspends Uber's Autonomous Vehicle Testing

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has banned San Francisco-based Uber from testing its self-driving vehicles in his state, following the death of a woman who was hit by one of the technology company’s cars, Reuters reports.

Ducey sent a letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi calling the video of the incident “disturbing and alarming.” In the video, the operator of the vehicle, an Uber employee, is seen looking down at her phone mere seconds before a pedestrian steps onto the road. The vehicle, which was in autonomous mode at the time, strikes and ultimately kills the 49-year-old woman.

“In the best interests of the people of my state, I have directed the Arizona Department of Transportation to suspend Uber’s ability to test and operate autonomous vehicles on Arizona’s public roadways,” Ducey’s letter reads, in part.

Following Arizona's decision, Uber's autonomous division indicated to the California Department of Motor Vehicles that it will not seek to renew its permits to test in the state. Its current permits expire March 31.

Breaking: After the fatal self-driving car crash in Arizona, Uber indefinitely halts its self-driving car testing in California. Here's a letter from the state's DMV about the company's decision: pic.twitter.com/shx7lnMwOK

— Dara Kerr (@darakerr) March 27, 2018

Uber originally moved most of its self-driving operations, about 200 of its vehicles and hundreds of employees, to Arizona after California regulators shut down operations for lack of proper permits.  

This article was updated March 28 to reflect Uber's decision not to renew its autonomous test driving permits in California.