Uber’s self-driving cars, not their drivers, ran red lights in San Francisco
The race to stay ahead can sometimes lead companies to do strange things but technology still has its limits
Key takeaways
- Last December, a self-driving Uber was caught on camera running a red light in San Francisco, shortly after the vehicles began testing on the roads - without the regulators approval.
- While Uber claimed at the time that a driver was at fault, a report from The New York Times has since claimed that the car, not in fact the driver, who Uber suspended, was in error.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'Uber’s self-driving cars, not their drivers, ran red lights in San Francisco', 311 Institute, 28 February. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/ubers-self-driving-cars-not-their-drivers-ran-red-lights-in-san-francisco/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Last December, a self-driving Uber was caught on camera running a red light in San Francisco, shortly after the vehicles began testing on the roads - without the regulators approval. While Uber claimed at the time that a driver was at fault, a report from The New York Times has since claimed that the car, not in fact the driver, who Uber suspended, was in error.
The New York Times cites two company employees and internal company documents that reveal that the mapping programs guiding the vehicle in question failed to recognize six traffic lights, which allowed it to roll through a red light last December.
Shortly after the pilot project began in San Francisco California's Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the registrations of the cars after Uber failed to apply for a permit and the company then moved operations to Arizona where they've now resumed service and are picking up passengers.
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The race to stay ahead can sometimes lead companies to do strange things but technology still has its limits
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 28 February 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Uber’s self-driving cars, not their drivers, ran red lights in San Francisco. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/ubers-self-driving-cars-not-their-drivers-ran-red-lights-in-san-francisco/
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