Yes and you have to compensate for this considering lives are at stake. One needs to carefully select personal and supervise said personal closely. The fundamentals are not rocket science more like railroad age science e.g. the dead man switch. There is no way for Uber to plead ignorance as there are plenty of studies on the topic in the airline industry.
1) the person needs to be qualified as a true test driver (experienced auto engineer, professional driver with sufficient experience)
2) physical fitness, especially ability to stay awake and documented measured reaction times
3) strict rules on distractions, random checks
4) engineering measures for staying alert (sounds, tasks etc.)
5) limits on driving times, documented work logs and much more
and plenty more. Someone in Uber should have had the tasks making sure the tests are done as safe as possible. That person would have needed the qualifications and authority to affect the test execution.
The biggest problem is imho. that Uber does not have to produce self driving technology but only needs to be seen as working on the leading edge of it to sustain their financial storyline.
1) the person needs to be qualified as a true test driver (experienced auto engineer, professional driver with sufficient experience)
2) physical fitness, especially ability to stay awake and documented measured reaction times
3) strict rules on distractions, random checks
4) engineering measures for staying alert (sounds, tasks etc.)
5) limits on driving times, documented work logs and much more
and plenty more. Someone in Uber should have had the tasks making sure the tests are done as safe as possible. That person would have needed the qualifications and authority to affect the test execution.
The biggest problem is imho. that Uber does not have to produce self driving technology but only needs to be seen as working on the leading edge of it to sustain their financial storyline.