Uber resumes autonomous vehicle tests in Pittsburgh

Uber resumes autonomous vehicle tests in Pittsburgh
In this March 15, 2017, file photo, a sign marks a pick up point for the Uber car service at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Uber will resume testing autonomous vehicles in an area near Downtown Pittsburgh starting Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Uber is resuming autonomous vehicle tests in an area near downtown Pittsburgh.

The restart Thursday comes just over nine months after one of its autonomous cars struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona. Testing has been suspended since the accident in March.

The ride-hailing company received permission to resume testing from the Pennsylvania Transportation Department on Monday. It plans to start with a few cars in an area near its offices.

Uber has pledged to have two human backup drivers and take other in each Volvo SUV. It also will stay in an area where on most roads are 25 mph.

Uber also plans to resume human-controlled tests in Toronto and San Francisco. It has no immediate plan to resume tests in Arizona.

The says its SUVs will operate only during daylight hours on weekdays and not in inclement weather.

It also has activated Volvo's automatic emergency braking system as a backup to its self-driving controls.

© 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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