Uber freezes driverless car experiment following crash

Uber Technologies has been forced to suspend all its autonomous vehicles development following an accident in the US.

The accident, involving a Volvo XC90 (equipped with retro-fit autonomous driving tech) caused no serious injuries, the ride share tech company claims, but pending an internal investigation and police report, Uber has announced it was freezing all driverless activities on public roads.

According to the Tempe Police Department, the accident occurred when the driver of a second vehicles "failed to yield" or give way to the Uber vehicle while making a turn.

The impact of the collision was considerable and was enough to roll the heavy Volvo SUV on its side.

Despite running in fully autonomous mode, Uber said two "safety drivers" were sitting in the front seats of the XC90 to supervise and take control, if necessary.

Last year Uber announced it was expanding its self-driving program in the US that allowed its customer to hail a self-driving car - but rather than a driver sharing the cabin, there will be two engineers on board - customers were told.

There were no passengers on board at the time of the accident.

Uber is thought to have already introduced more than 100 self-driving Volvo XC90s on US roads following both companies announcing a $400 million partnership last year.

The Swedish car maker is a strong advocate of autonomous vehicles as it thinks the self-driving technology is the only solution to achieve its aim of zero road deaths.

IMAGE CREDIT: FRESCO NEWS