This week, a self-driving Volvo owned by Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. We won’t know the exact details of what happened until much later once Uber, the local police, and the federal government have completed their investigations. But the tragedy has opened up many questions about how self-driving car technology works, and particularly how well these robotic cars can see what’s happening around them. Alex Davies and Aarian Marshall from WIRED’s transportation desk join us this week to talk about autonomous vehicle safety, Lidar, street design, and the human component.

Some notes: Aarian’s initial report about the Tempe crash. Her analysis of Uber’s dashcam video. The crash comes at a time when pedestrian deaths are spiking. Aarian on the ethics of testing self-driving tech on public roads. Alex explains Lidar. Read our complete guide to self-driving cars. Recommendations this week: The Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody, Facebook Lite, and clean your damn floors. A complete guide to managing your Facebook privacy settings.

Send the hosts feedback on Twitter. Alex is @adavies47, Aarian is @aarianmarshall, and Mike is @snackfight. Bling the main Gadget Lab hotline at @GadgetLab or reach the transportation desk at @wiredtransport. Our theme song is by Solar Keys.

How to Listen

You can always listen to this week’s podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here’s how:

If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts, and search for Gadget Lab. And in case you really need it, here’s the RSS feed.

If you use Android, you can find us in the Google Play Music app just by tapping here. You can also download an app like Pocket Casts or Radio Public, and search for Gadget Lab. And in case you really need it, here’s the RSS feed.

We’re also on Soundcloud, and every episode gets posted to wired.com as soon as it’s released. If you still can’t figure it out, or there’s another platform you use that we’re not on, let us know.