PennDOT cancels meeting on new testing guidelines with self-driving car companies

Peduto said Tuesday that his speed limit and other measures aren’t just for Uber but are for the entire self-driving industry growing in Pittsburgh. The chances of a pedestrian being killed by a car greatly increase as the car’s speed increases, according to data analyzed by ProPublica. The average adult has a 12 percent chance of being killed by a car traveling 25 mph. The chance increases to 31 percent at 35 mph, 60 percent at 45 mph and 86 percent at 55 mph.

“We want to see that industry succeed, but the question becomes at what cost,” Peduto said. “So when you’re looking at safety, and you know that the ability of reducing a speed down to 25 has a significant reduction in the amount of fatalities that occur in this country and around the world, is it too much to ask for?”

Uber, Argo AI, Aurora Innovation, Aptiv and Carnegie Mellon University have all tested self-driving cars on Pittsburgh’s streets.
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