Driverless Car in China Hits a Person Illegally Crossing the Street

A driverless car used for ride hailing hit a pedestrian in China that was illegally crossing the road.

The operator of the vehicle Baidu, said in a statement that the car began moving when the light turned green and had minor contact with the pedestrian. The person was taken to a hospital where an examination found no obvious external injuries.

Images posted online show a person sitting on the street in front of the driverless car with its rooftop sensors. Comments on social media largely supported Baidu, pointing out that the pedestrian had broken the law, the English-language Shanghai Daily newspaper said in a post on X.

Beijing-based search-engine and artificial intelligence company Baidu is a leader in the development of autonomous driving in China. Its largest “robotaxi” operation, with a fleet of 300 cars, is in Wuhan.

Amidst this, Beijing is attempting to legislate these driverless cars and the draft guidelines include regulations that will require drivers or safety officers on board, or be able to intercept remotely.

Despite popular opinion, even Tesla has yet to offer features that can safely be used without people keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

If autonomous vehicles were allowed to roam the streets of Malaysia we’d be seeing way more collisions since it feels like all motorcyclist in Malaysia know is how to drive illegally.