Uber suspends US self-driving program after fatal crash

Uber has announced it has paused its self-driving operations in Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto after one of its autonomous vehicles killed a woman crossing a street in Arizona.

According to Tempe police, the self-driving car that hit and killed the woman was in autonomous mode at the time of the accident.

The 49-year-old victim was reportedly walking outside of a crosswalk at the time of the crash.

A vehicle operator was inside the car at the time of the collision.

Announcing a statement on Twitter, Uber said: “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.”

It's not the first time one of Uber's vehicles has been involved in an accident, but it is the first time it has been involved in a fatality.

The car-share app says it is now assisting the police in its "active investigation" and is expected to share both data and footage of the incident.

Within the US there are growing calls for tighter regulations around the fully autonomous technology that is supposed to detect and distinguish between pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.

One well-publicised incident in California drawing attention from US media involved a Tesla that was found stopped in the middle of a five-lane highway with its driver asleep behind the wheel.

According to reports, the vehicle was in 'Autopilot' mode, which switched off after the driver drifted off and let go of the steering wheel. The Tesla owner was later arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.