Uber pulls self-driving cars off the road after Arizona crash

The accident flipped one of the company’s driverless Volvos onto its side

The crash happened when the driver of a second vehicle “failed to yield” to the Uber car (FRESCO NEWS/Mark Beach/Handout via REUTERS)

Uber has suspended its self-driving car operations after one of its vehicles was involved in a crash in Arizona.

The accident left one of the company’s driverless Volvos on its side, but fortunately led to no serious injuries.

A picture of the crash scene shows two other damaged cars sitting next to the Volvo, one of which has smashed windows and particularly bad dent marks, suggesting the accident happened at some speed.

“The vehicles collided, causing the autonomous vehicle to roll onto its side,” Tempe Police Department spokesperson Josie Montenegro told Reuters. “There were no serious injuries.”

Two ‘safety’ drivers were sat in the front seats of the Uber car at the time of the crash, and nobody was in the back.

According to Ms Montenegro, the crash happened when the driver of a second vehicle “failed to yield” to the Uber car while making a turn.

Uber is looking into the incident, and has halted its self-driving car programmes in Arizona, Pennsylvania and California – the three states in which testing was taking place – while its investigations are ongoing.

The company is going through a particularly turbulent period at the moment, following sexual harassment allegations and the resignation of president Jeff Jones after just six months in the job.

It’s also recently emerged that Uber has been using Greyball, a secret tool, to avoid law enforcement authorities in countries across the world.