Driverless Cars Back on the Road in Boston

Driverless cars are back on the streets in Boston following Uber's fatal crash in Arizona.

Testing of driverless cars was put on hold following a fatal crash that involved a pedestrian and a self-driving Uber SUV. The fatality, which occurred last month in Tempe, Arizona, halted testing in cities including Tempe, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Boston, where driverless cars have tiptoed back onto the streets, according to the Boston Globe.

Back Behind The Wheel

While Massachusetts officials have resisted dedicating a plan to expand on driverless cars testing, companies like NuTonomy and Optimus Ride have been slowly getting back on the road. Since the accident in March, Uber has yet to bring back its own testing of self-driving cars, especially in Arizona, where lawmakers have requested Uber keep its driverless cars parked for the time being.

But back in Beantown, NuTonomy and Optimus Ride got the go-ahead from officials this past Tuesday to bring their own versions of driverless technology to the streets. NuTonomy is sporting a partnership with Lyft to offer some free rides for members wanting to try the technology out for the first time.

Pumping The Brakes

While Boston is welcoming back driverless cars, the state as a whole is still keeping things on hold to allow more testing in and around the outskirts of Boston metro area. A deal between state officials and a group of Boston suburbs to bring on more driverless cars to test won't be completed until later this month now.

These tests, when they happen around the Greater Boston area, will have to be handled with the utmost in strictness, having a driver being ready to take over the wheel at all times. The accident in Arizona occurred as the autonomous Uber SUV did not detect the pedestrian crossing the street and the driver did not take over.

NEXT: Arizona Won't Tighten Laws After Uber Self-Driving Fatality

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