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.
What this means for your organisation
Software faults get blamed on people.
Uber suspended a driver for an error its own mapping system made. When automated systems fail, the first instinct is often to blame the human in the loop. Boards should insist that incident reviews test the software before they test the staff.
Maps are a hidden point of failure.
The car did not recognise six traffic lights because its maps were wrong. Autonomous vehicles depend on data that must be checked and kept current. Any firm relying on automated navigation should treat map quality as a safety asset.
Skipping permits costs more than time.
Uber started testing without a permit, lost its registrations and had to move to Arizona. Racing regulators wins headlines but loses trust. Engage early, because public robotaxi services will depend on licences that regulators can withdraw.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Do our incident reviews check the software before blaming the operator?
- Who audits the maps and data our automated systems rely on?
- Are we working with regulators before we launch, not after?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
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, President and Futurist, 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." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist 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 programme, 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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