Uber Denounces Traffic Light Laws After Self-Driving Car Runs Red Light
Halting Problem Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 23, 2016
SOMA, SAN FRANCISCO — Uber isn’t exactly known for following the rules. The ride-sharing company recently launched its self-driving car service in San Francisco without the necessary permits with the DMV, unlike self-driving car manufacturers like Google, Tesla, and General Motors who had abided by state regulations. But this week, a San Francisco cab driver captured video of an Uber self-driving car running a red light, sparking outrage from local activists.
In a press conference earlier today, Uber announced its plans to continue operating the cars despite their history of violations. Uber spokesperson Eric Bauer decried traffic lights as “onerous government regulation… that is not applicable to us and should not be enforced.”
“Traffic lights, like other so-called ‘road safety’ regulations, are just examples of the complex rules and requirements that could have the unintended consequence of slowing innovation,” said Mr. Bauer, despite the fact that every other human and self-driving car learned to obey traffic signals before even being allowed to drive on the road. “This isn’t about picking a fight. This is about getting regulators to do the right thing, which is whatever we want.”
At first, Uber blamed the red-light-running issues on human error: errors of the human programmers who coded the bug to run the red lights and errors of the human safety monitors who did not turn off the cars’ self-driving mode before they ran through the red lights. Compared to Google/Waymo’s overly polite but safe self-driving cars, Uber cars have also been caught recklessly turning across bike lanes, running stop signs, and failing to yield to pedestrians.
However, Uber soon noticed that the behavior had reduced ride times in its experimental self-driving car fleet by up to 35%. Instead of fixing the supposed problems, Uber is now planning to “roll out” this “improved” behavior to its vast fleet of human drivers. “We here at Uber are committed to optimizing experience and efficiency for our customers,” said Mr. Bauer. “And last time I checked, pedestrians aren’t customers.”
During the press conference, one reporter expressed concern that Uber’s plans would run afoul of state and federal regulations for safe driving. Mr. Bauer reportedly laughed and responded, “Of course it will disrupt regulations. But screw the rules, we have money!”
UPDATE (12/23/2016): Soon after the press conference above, the California DMV irately revoked the registrations of 16 of Uber’s self-driving test cars, saying that, “the registrations were improperly issued for these vehicles because they were not properly marked as test vehicles.” In response, Uber put out a press release saying that they would halt all autonomous vehicle testing in San Francisco and move to the “Objectivist paradise of Arizona.”
A spokesperson argued, “red lights are coercive and stifle the free marketplace of ideas. There, we will not be subject to arbitrary limits like stop signs, as the more enlightened Arizona state government correctly prioritizes freedom and innovation over petty trivialities like safety.”