PHOENIX: Video footage of a fatal pedestrian accident involving a self-driving Uber car has prompted calls to limit testing on public roads and raised concerns about the legal framework surrounding autonomous vehicle technology.
The 22-second video shows a woman walking her bike from a darkened area on to a street just before being struck by an Uber SUV in self-driving mode. The footage was released by police in Tempe, Arizona, following the crash earlier this week.
Three experts who studied the emerging technology concluded the video, which includes dashcam footage of the driver’s reaction, indicates the vehicle’s sensors should have spotted the pedestrian and initiated braking to avoid the crash that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg on Sunday.
Uber has suspended testing as the investigation proceeds into the accident, the first fatality involving a self-driving vehicle.
Raj Rajkumar, who heads the autonomous vehicle program at Carnegie Mellon University, said the video was revealing in multiple ways, including that the driver appeared distracted, and that Herzberg appeared to have been in the roadway and moving for several seconds without her presence being sensed.
Laser systems used in the Uber vehicles, called Lidar, can carry a blind spot, he said.
“All of this should be looked at in excruciating detail,” he said.
Herzberg’s death occurs at a time when eagerness to put autonomous vehicles on public roads is accelerating in Silicon Valley, the auto industry and state and federal governments.
More than 100 car manufacturers and industry associations in early March sent a letter urging Congress to expedite passage of a proposal from Senator John Thune that aims to provide regulatory oversight and make it easier to deploy the technology.
After the crash, groups such as Vision Zero, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and other safety-minded organizations urged the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to delay consideration of Thune’s proposal until the Tempe crash investigation is completed.
“The stage is set for what will essentially be beta-testing on public roads with families as unwitting crash test dummies,” the letter said.
Thune, who chairs the science committee, said in a statement Thursday that the crash underscores the need to adopt laws and policies tailored to self-driving vehicles.
“Congress should act to update rules, direct manufacturers to address safety requirements, and enhance the technical expertise of regulators,” Thune said.
Scott Hall, spokesman for the Coalition of Future Mobility, which represents a variety of auto, consumer and taxpayer interest groups, said on Thursday the organization supports the bill because a national framework of rules governing testing and deployment of technology is needed to avoid a 50-state patchwork of laws.
Data from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that states are increasingly introducing legislation over autonomous vehicles — 33 in 2017. More than 20 states have already enacted autonomous vehicle legislation.
Uber, Intel, Waymo and GM are testing autonomous cars in Arizona, which does not require the firms to get a permit. After the Tempe crash, Governor Doug Ducey, who brought the companies to the state with a promise of minimal regulation, warned against jumping to conclusions.
He said both the Tempe police and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
“So let’s see what happened.”
Earlier this month, Ducey issued an executive order that will allow companies to operate autonomous vehicles without a person on board. The only requirement is to send an advisory letter to the state Department of Transportation.
John Simpson, of the California-based advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, said Ducey was turning Arizona into “the Wild West of automobile testing.”
“There are no regulations, and if there is no sheriff in town, somebody gets killed,” Simpson said.
The watchdog group is calling for a national moratorium on the testing of all autonomous vehicles until the cause of the fatal crash is determined. Simpson said other states and Congress should look to California, where even minor crashes must be reported, for a blueprint.
In Arizona, companies such as Uber need to carry only minimum liability insurance to operate self-driving cars. They are not required to track crashes or report any information to the state.
California requires a $5 million insurance policy, and companies must report accidents to the state within 10 days and release an annual tally showing how many times test drivers had to take over.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, who has embraced limited regulations for autonomous vehicles, said the crash wasn’t causing him to rethink his state’s laws.
“We need to find out all the issues associated with that (crash),” he said. “It’s terrible to have someone get in an accident and be killed like that. Unfortunately, we have traffic deaths going on far too often in our country. Let’s all work harder on having safe roads.”
Uber self-driving death puts brakes on tech giants
Uber self-driving death puts brakes on tech giants
How mining can transform Saudi Arabia’s economy
- Kingdom’s mineral wealth valued at $2.5tn, positioning mining as a third pillar of the national economy
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is accelerating its push into mining as part of its economic transformation under Vision 2030, amid the growing importance of critical minerals and rare earths.
The Kingdom’s mineral wealth is valued at $2.5 trillion, positioning mining as a third pillar of the national economy alongside hydrocarbons.
The mining industry could give Saudi Arabia an edge in transition minerals and supply chains by expanding extraction, processing and the logistics needed to move materials to market, according to economists and industry specialists.
Saudi Arabia is home to more than 45 identified minerals, including gold, copper and uranium, according to the Vision 2030 strategy.
Momentum has been supported by measures aimed at making mining easier to invest in and faster to scale, including updated regulations, digital licensing platforms, specialized mining services, and new transport and rail links to mining areas.
Vision 2030 aims to raise mining’s contribution to gross domestic product to SR240 billion ($63 billion) by 2030, create 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, and attract $27 billion in new investment, according to published government targets.
Signs of progress are starting to show in the mining sector in terms of exploration activity, licensing and new discoveries.
“The mining strategy shows it’s working very well, evidenced by the rapid rise in exploration and industrial licenses, and major new mineral discoveries,” Talat Hafiz, an economist and financial analyst, told Arab News.
Saudi Arabia is undertaking the world’s largest geological survey, covering about 700,000 sq. km of the Arabian Shield for $1.5 billion, he said.
The number of mining licenses issued exceeds 2,000, according to official data, and the Kingdom’s mineral wealth is valued at 90 percent higher than it was in 2016 when Vision 2030 was rolled out.
A key milestone highlighted in Vision 2030’s mining strategy was the introduction of a new mining investment law, which reduced the tax rate to 20 percent from 45 percent to spur investment and align the sector with global standards.
The Kingdom’s mining resources position it well to be a critical supplier of raw materials that are integral to energy transition as clean-energy technologies require large volumes of mined materials.
Copper is central to electrification and power networks, while battery supply chains rely on minerals such as nickel and lithium. Phosphate is a key industrial input with wider economic value.
Reliable supplies of metals and minerals used in power grids, batteries and electric vehicles can attract investment and support downstream industry in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s Jabal Sayid site, northeast of Jeddah, ranks among the world’s top four resources for rare earth elements, Khalid Al-Mudaifer, vice minister of industry and mineral resources for mining affairs, recently told Al Eqtisadiah.
It will help meet Saudi Arabia’s needs for minerals used in magnet manufacturing, EVs and wind energy, while also supporting global supply, including the US market, he said.
Mining can also catalyze investment in the Kingdom, widen supply-chain employment, and boost non-oil exports and private-sector growth, according to economists and policymakers.
Mines, processing plants and the infrastructure around them require large upfront capital spending, creating a pipeline of work across construction, equipment, utilities and logistics.
“When a mining sector scales, the economic footprint extends well beyond extraction,” said Turki Al-Nahari, vice president of global mining at Ecolab, told Arab News. “Growth typically occurs across engineering services, industrial water management, logistics, laboratory testing, equipment reliability, environmental services and digital performance systems.
“That shift creates demand for skilled engineers, technicians, data analysts and operational specialists,” he added.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia’s mining exploration budget increased 600 percent to $146 million from $21 million in 2022.
“This growth is driven by ongoing geological surveys, technological advancements and higher exploitation budgets, all of which signal stability and opportunity, attracting foreign investment,” Manraj Lamba, a mining economics analyst at S&P Global, said in a recent report.
Mining projects are easier to finance when the size and quality of the deposit are clear, costs are competitive, and rules and taxes are stable, Abdullah Al-Harbi, an economist familiar with the industry, told Arab News.
Investors want solid feasibility work, credible timelines and evidence a project can stay profitable through swings in commodity prices, Al-Harbi said.
Saudi Arabia’s pipeline includes 24 exploration-stage projects and 17 more advanced developments, according to S&P Global.
“Its proactive approach to geological surveys and resource assessment has uncovered significant potential across gold, copper, phosphate and bauxite,” Lamba said.
Large projects also tend to generate employment across a wider industrial supply chain, including contractors, maintenance, laboratories, transport and a range of operational services.
To boost employment and support hiring and training, Saudi Arabia has moved to standardize job roles and skills for the mining industry.
HIGHLIGHT
Vision 2030 aims to raise mining’s contribution to gross domestic product to SR240 billion ($63 billion) by 2030, create 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, and attract $27 billion in new investment.
The Kingdom rolled out a framework related to employment and skills in the mining industry in January at the Global Labor Market Conference.
The framework is “a tool which ensures clear definitions of occupations and their required skills,” the Kingdom’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef said. It will cover more than 500 job roles, detail the necessary skills, responsibilities and titles, he added.
Exports from the sector are already rising in tandem with investments to develop the industry and create jobs.
Saudi Arabia exported 5.7 million tonnes of phosphate fertilizer in 2024, up about 6 percent from 2023, according to a GASTAT report.
As the energy transition accelerates, Saudi Arabia’s advantage may be strongest beyond extraction alone.
“Saudi Arabia’s most realistic advantage in the accelerating energy transition lies in combining selective mining with strong processing and refining capabilities, supported by its emerging role as a logistics and supply-chain hub,” Hafiz said.
The Kingdom’s position between Africa, Europe, and Asia favors downstream processing and value-added industries, he added.
“Saudi Arabia is prioritizing minerals that are both financeable and strategically aligned with emerging industries such as electric vehicles and clean energy technologies, where markets are clear, and demand is scalable,” Hafiz said.
Aluminum, phosphate, and similar commodities remain a key focus to support local manufacturing, infrastructure development and downstream industries while strengthening export capacity, he said.
“Once construction concludes, the priority shifts to operational stability and performance optimization,” Al-Nahari said.
“Small efficiency gains, applied consistently across large-scale operations, compound materially over time,” influencing cost as well as uptime and competitiveness over the life of a mine, he added.
As the global race toward electrification and decarbonization accelerates, the Kingdom is effectively positioning itself beyond its oil legacy with its strategic commitment to the minerals sector, which will play a critical role in powering the future.
Its investment in exploration, infrastructure, and downstream processing anchor it as a pivotal supplier in the critical minerals and rare earths value chain in the era of energy transition.
