Uber Operator of Self-Driving Car in Fatal Crash Had Criminal Record

Pedestrian fatality puts spotlight on test operators of self-driving cars, after police video shows Uber operator wasn’t watching the road

As part of its investigation, the Tempe, Ariz., police department released this video showing the moment before a self-driving Uber operating in autonomous mode struck a pedestrian on March 18. Warning: Graphic content. PHOTO: CHRIS CARLSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

TEMPE, Ariz.—The test operator in the Uber Technologies Inc. self-driving car that killed an Arizona woman was a felon with a history of traffic citations who wasn’t watching the road before the accident happened, facts that raise new questions about the company’s testing process for autonomous technology.

The accident and its resulting disclosures are a potential setback in the progress of self-driving cars and to Uber, which has grappled with a number of problems including legal woes and clashes among its board and investors...