The basic elements of the collision between a driverless shuttle bus and a human-driven delivery truck this week in Las Vegas are straightforward.
According to police officers, a passenger, and officials from the company which manages the bus, the eight-passenger electric shuttle detected the truck in its path and yielded. It came to a complete stop. The truck continued backing up and struck the left-front side of the stationary bus. If this had been an everyday fender bender, that?d be the end of the story.
But because the minor crash involved a vehicle operating under the control of a self-driving system, the broader circumstances of Wednesday?s scrape have received considerable scrutiny and raised questions about how self-driving cars and human motorists interact on public roads. Even though no injuries were reported and the shuttle resumed service Thursday morning, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the federal agency tasked with examining major crashes and issuing safety recommendations, said Friday it will dispatch investigators to review the crash. The board?s interest and involvement underscore the importance of learning more about the safety of autonomous technology as automakers and tech companies ramp up testing and deployment.

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The shuttle performed exactly how it?s designed.
? Chris Barker, Keolis
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Chris Barker, senior vice president of new mobility at Keolis, the mass-transit company which owns and manages the affected shuttle...