when you are the backup driver to a self-driving machine that (almost) does all the work

Difficult? Then what was the backup driver there for and being paid for on this job? When driving a vehicle the lives of people and animals are at stake, as well as property, all of which the company knows. Indefensible, reckless behavior.

disabled before she drove it.
If they did not then its more Ubers fault than that of Vasquez however if Vasquez was aware then Vasquez will probably be charged though considering Herzberg was crossing the street illegally at the time I doubt the prosecutor will seek much if any jail time.

also knowing that if turned on it can malfunction for any number of reasons.

- "That report showed Uber had disabled the emergency braking system in the Volvo, and Vasquez began braking less than a second after hitting Herzberg."

-"The Uber car was in autonomous mode at the time of the crash, but Uber, like other self-driving car developers, requires a back-up driver in the car to intervene when the autonomous system fails or a tricky driving situation occurs."

- "Uber declined to comment on the police report. The company prohibits the use of any mobile device by safety drivers while the self-driving cars are on a public road, and drivers are told they can be fired for violating this rule."

- "According to a report last month by the US National Transportation Safety Board, which is also investigating the crash, Vasquez told federal investigators she had been monitoring the self-driving interface in the car and that neither her personal nor business phones were in use until after the crash."

Along with inattentive & irresponsible on the job, Vasquez LIED about not using a mobile device which is cause for firing by Uber.
That the victim was a homeless woman was mentioned here; those people are always causing trouble! Actually the residency status of the woman killed by neglect is irrelevant. It could have been a kid or brother of a millionaire or a junkie crossing the highway that night.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/22/driver-was-streaming-the-voice-when-uber-self-driving-car-crashed-say-police

Probably the same reason my pharmacy claims to have faxed my doctor 6 times for paperwork to get my diabetic test strips filled but the doctors office claims they have received nothing and that reason is.........a failure to communicate.

you might or might not be needed for one split second? I just don't see how anyone could be that attentive. Most drivers aren't even when they're driving.

"The collision that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, who was crossing the road at night in Tempe, Arizona, was “entirely avoidable”, a police report said, if Rafaela Vasquez had been paying attention."

They also have the radio and weather to monitor. And if something malfunctions, the pilots know they will take control. Part of the issue with cars is many drivers wouldn’t be ready to take control.

Then sue the shit out of her.

for crossing illegally.
I am not saying or implying that Vasquez is without blame in this but rather just pointing out it mitigates some of the liability.

faulty. How do you keep them engaged with their eyes on the road when they have nothing to do 99.99999% of the time—continually electronic pin pricks in their seats?

because they will start to trust it more because it will become reliable to them.

i can seriously see people even deciding to take a nap .

Though I'm sure the producers of The Voice are grateful for the free plug anyway.

attention. There is just no excuse for her not to have been having her eyes on the road, especially driving in a place with pedestrian traffic and crosswalks. Self-driving cars are still in the testing phase. You never hear of test pilots taking their hands off the controls of experimental aircraft.