Ex-NHTSA Official Joins Uber's Autonomous Vehicle Team

Uber Technologies Inc. has hired Nat Beuse, a long-time official at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration overseeing vehicle safety research, to support the company's efforts to develop safe self-driving vehicles, reports Reuters. 

"Uber's approach to self-driving vehicles is an opportunity to make a difference in the safe commercialization of this revolutionary technology, which I've spent a considerable amount of time working with in recent years," Beuse said in an Uber statement. "It's clear to me that the team here is dedicated to prioritizing safety."

The ride hailing service halted testing on its autonomous vehicles after one of its self-driving vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian last March in Tempe, Arizona.

However, Uber appears ready to resume testing and recently asked Pennsylvania for permission to do so, reports Reuters. The company is awaiting a response.

Uber has said it will resume testing with two employees in the front seat and will also enable an automatic braking system at all times. In addition, the company intends to more strictly monitor safety employees, notes the report.