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What did one of Uber's first self-driving cars do on launch day that caught national attention?

Answer: ran a red light

On Wednesday, Dec. 14, Uber made headlines for putting a handful of self-driving cars into service in San Francisco. And that same day, the dashcam on a local taxicab caught one of those self-driving Ubers very clearly running a red light:



Though the vehicles are, in fact, self-driving, a human driver is behind the wheel at all times, and ready to take over, according to Uber's blog announcing the launch. (Still, according to the Associated Press, California regulators have told Uber to stop the self-driving service until it gets the required permit.)

"We understand that there is a debate over whether or not we need a testing permit to launch self-driving Ubers in San Francisco. We have looked at this issue carefully and we don’t believe we do," Anthony Levandowski, head of the Advanced Technology Group, wrote in the blog. "Before you think, 'there they go again,' let us take a moment to explain: First, we are not planning to operate any differently than in Pittsburgh, where our pilot has been running successfully for several months. Second, the rules apply to cars that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them. For us, it’s still early days and our cars are not yet ready to drive without a person monitoring them."

So if a human was present and capable of taking over, a logical question follows: Why didn't this driver hit the brakes?