San Francisco: Uber has suspended all autonomous vehicles across the US and Canada after a women was hit and killed by one of the company's self-driving cars in Arizona.

The accident in Tempe marked the first fatality from a self-driving vehicle and could derail efforts to fast-track the introduction of the new technology in the United States.

At the time of the accident, which occurred overnight on Sunday, the car was in autonomous mode with a vehicle operator behind the wheel, Tempe police said.

"The vehicle was traveling northbound ... when a female walking outside of the crosswalk crossed the road from west to east when she was struck by the Uber vehicle," police said in a statement.

A spokesman for Uber Technologies said the company was suspending its North American tests. In a tweet, Uber expressed its condolences and said the company was fully cooperating with authorities.

Reuters