Uber won't confirm if software caused self-driving car to kill pedestrian

Uber Technologies Inc on Mondaysaid it has hired a former U.S. regulator to advise the companyon safety, but would not confirm a technology website's reportthat a software flaw was responsible for a fatal accidentinvolving one of its self-driving cars in March.

The Information reported that Uber has determined the likelycause of the fatal collision in March was a problem with the
software that decides how a self-driving car should react toobjects it detects. The outlet said the car's sensors detected apedestrian but the software decided it did not need to reactright away. Uber declined to comment on the report.

A 49-year-old woman was killed on March 18 after an Uberself-driving sports utility vehicle hit her while she was
walking across a street. The incident led the ride-share companyto suspend testing of autonomous vehicles. Arizona's governoralso ordered a halt to Uber's testing.

"We can't comment on the specifics of the incident," thecompany said, citing an ongoing investigation by the NationalTransportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The company said it was looking at its self-driving program.

"We have initiated a top-to-bottom safety review of ourself-driving vehicles program, and we have brought on former
NTSB Chair Christopher Hart to advise us on our overall safetyculture," Uber said. "Our review is looking at everything fromthe safety of our system to our training processes for vehicleoperators, and we hope to have more to say soon."

In a video of the crash released by police, the vehicleappeared not to brake before it struck the woman.

The NTSB is expected to issue a preliminary report on theArizona Uber crash in the coming weeks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)is also investigating the incident and declined to comment.

Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said in April thatUber still believes in prospects for autonomous transport.
"Autonomous (vehicles) at maturity will be safer," he said at aWashington event.

Hart was chairman of the NTSB when it opened a probe into afatal Tesla crash involving a driver using the system's
Autopilot system.

Hart said in 2016 that self-driving cars will not beperfect.

"There will be fatal crashes, that's for sure," Hart said,but added that will not derail the move toward driverless cars.
"This train has already left the station."