Uber Safety Driver Charged With Negligent Homicide

Sept. 17, 2020—Phoenix officials have formally charged an Uber Safety Driver who was behind the wheel of an autonomous vehicle that hit and killed a 52-year-old woman.

Rafaela Vasquez pleaded not guilty to the charge of negligent homicide, though data provided by Hulu shows she was streaming episodes just minutes before the 2018 crash that killed Elaine Herzberg, a Tempe resident.

Gizmodo reports that five months prior to the crash, Uber cut back from two self-driving vehicle safety operators per vehicle, to one. Uber avoided criminal liability, but reached a settlement for an unknown amount with Herzberg's family in 2018.