The large-scale deployment of driverless cars will indeed save lives, but it will take some time.

Uber chief scientist Raquel Urtasun said on Monday the company believes it will take a long time before self-driving cars are widely used, but the new technology can save lives, Reuters reported.

Urtasun is chief scientist at Uber Advanced Technologies, a Toronto-based unit that has attracted attention as the company prepares to go public later this year. Uber lost $1.8 billion in 2018 before taxes, depreciation and other charges, and self-driving cars have widened the company's losses.

Still, some believe a successful transition to self-driving cars is crucial for Uber in the long run.

In 2017, Uber established Uber Advanced Technologies in Toronto and appointed Urtasun as its director. Last year, Uber announced that it would invest more bonuses in the Toronto department to expand its self-driving business. The industry has always believed that Uber is a leader in the field of self-driving until March last year when an Uber self-driving SUV hit and killed a pedestrian.

Uber then pulled its self-driving cars from public roads, laid off hundreds of test drivers and shut down its Arizona operations, where it had previously built a self-driving testing center. Uber resumed public road testing in December last year.

Investors led by SoftBank and Toyota are in talks with Uber to invest $1 billion or more in Uber's driverless car division.

In the private market, Uber is valued at $76 billion. It is preparing for an IPO with a valuation of up to $120 billion. People familiar with the matter said that Uber may launch an investor roadshow before the end of April.