Uber’s self-driving vehicle tests in Arizona have been banned from continuing until further notice after a collision left a pedestrian dead.

The firm initially halted its trials last week after a self-driving vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. State Governor Doug Ducey has since contacted the firm highlighting his concerns with Uber’s safety procedures and, as such, has order state officials to suspend further trials until an enquiry is carried out by transport safety regulators.

Governor Ducey welcomed the firm’s self-driving fleet in 2016, but in the scandal-ridden two years that have passed, his relationship with the firm appears to have soured. Uber’s presence in Arizona was initially questioned by state officials, as the company been prohibited from carrying out the same trials in California after it failed to obtain permits for their activities.

Uber Competitors Respond

A number of Uber’s competitors have weighed in on the story since it broke last week. John Krafcik, the Chief Executive Officer of Google’s autonomous vehicle operators, Waymo, spoke to media outlets last week and claimed that the technology they use would have ‘been able to handle’ a similar situation far better, avoiding injury or death to the pedestrian.

He said, “We have a lot of confidence that our technology would be robust and would be able to handle situations like that one”

Waymo aren’t alone in their criticism of Uber’s technology either, with Intel‘s chief Amnon Shashua writing in a blog post that its Mobileye technology would have prevented a collision.

Shashua suggested that this recent development greatly damages the image of autonomous vehicles in the public eye and reduces public trust. He also highlighted a need for a serious discussion on safety guidelines within the industry.

“More incidents like the one last week could do further harm to already fragile consumer trust and spur reactive regulation that could stifle this important work.

“I firmly believe the time to have a meaningful discussion on a safety validation framework for fully autonomous vehicles is now”

Nvidia Halts Self-Driving Tests

In response to the Uber incident last week, Nvidia has also suspended the testing of all automated vehicles on public roads. Nvidia has been testing self-driving vehicles for some time now, with active testing taking place in Germany, Japan and a number of US states.

In addition to their own self-driving vehicle tests, the chipmaker also develops high-powered computing platforms for other autonomous vehicles. Uber is a customer of Nvidia, which relies on its’ computing platforms for their vehicles.

China Disregards Arizona Death

Concerns by American authorities don’t seem to fade their Chinese counterparts, however, as last week they gave Baidu the go-ahead to perform self-driving tests in the capital city, Beijing – Indicating the government’s strong support for a growing sector.

The permit will allow Baidu to perform tests on 33 roads – this equates to around 65 miles worth of road – in the city’s quieter suburbs. Baidu Vice President, Zhao Cheng, believes that this initial step will make Beijing a focal point of the budding autonomous vehicle industry in China, stating:

“With supportive policies, we believe that Beijing will become a rising hub for the autonomous driving industry”