Tag: autopilot

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Tesla ruled ‘not at fault’ in Model S Autopilot crash lawsuit

Tesla has defeated a lawsuit claiming the company’s Autopilot feature was at fault for a single-car crash in 2019.

As reported by Reuters, a California state court jury determined that Tesla’s driver-assistance feature, known as Autopilot, did not cause a crash that led to the driver receiving nerve damage, a fractured jaw and missing teeth.

The initial lawsuit was issued by Los Angeles resident Justine Hsu, who claimed that her Model S swerved into a curb while on Autopilot. She sued for over $3 million in damages, claiming that the software and Tesla’s airbags were defective.

The EV company denied responsibility for the accident and looked to its software user manual as a defence. Sure enough, the manual advises against the practice of using Autopilot on city streets, which is what Hsu was doing before the crash. No damages were awarded to Hsu, saying the automaker “did not intentionally fail to disclose facts about Autopilot.”

The results of the lawsuit won’t be legally binding in other cases but are expected to be used how to inform lawyers to tackle future incidents involving driver-assisted technology.

Despite winning the case, Tesla’s Autopilot feature still has a stigma surrounding the legitimacy and safety of the software. The company remains under investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for Autopilot collisions involving parked emergency vehicles.

In other Autopilot news, a federal investigation is ongoing after a Model S accident left three passengers dead.

Image credit: Tesla

Source: Reuters Via: Engadget

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U.S. Justice Department investigating Tesla self-driving claims

The U.S. Department of Justice reportedly launched a criminal probe into Tesla’s self-driving vehicle claim.

According to Reuters, three people familiar with the matter told the publication about the probe. The previously undisclosed investigation started last year following over a dozen crashes, some fatal, involving Tesla’s Autopilot automated driving technology. The people told Reuters that Autopilot was activated during the accidents.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly and publicly promised that self-driving cars were coming but hasn’t yet delivered. As noted by The Verge, Musk went from saying Tesla would have 1 million robotaxis on the road by the end of the year to 1 million people in the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta. However, those are very different things.

Tesla vehicles come with a driver assistant feature called Autopilot, but for an extra $19,500 in Canada, customers can upgrade it to FSD. But despite what Musk has said and the arguably misleading name, FSD still requires driver supervision. Tesla’s website notes as much when you select the FSD add-on, which Reuters says could complicate the Justice Department’s case.

FSD has been a tricky feature for Tesla. Fans love it (so much so that some have sought to put children in harm’s way to prove it works), and critics have repeatedly pointed out safety concerns with Tesla using regular people to beta test FSD. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating 16 crashes where Tesla vehicles using Autopilot crashed into stationary emergency vehicles, leading to 15 injuries and one fatality.

Moreover, regulators have accused Tesla of false advertising, and customers have sued the company for allegedly misleading them about the capabilities of FSD.

So far, most of this seems to have had little effect on Tesla or Musk, but a Justice Department investigation carries the risk that Tesla or its executives will be charged criminally. Reuters reports that federal prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco are investigating whether Tesla’s claims about Autopilot and FSD misled customers.

Source: Reuters, The Verge

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U.S. safety regulators investigating Tesla Autopilot feature follow car crash

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating Tesla’s Autopilot feature after a Model S accident left three passengers dead, according to The Wallstreet Journal.

In May, one of Tesla’s Model S electric vehicles struck a curb on Newport Beach’s Mariners Mile strip. The vehicle reported ran into construction equipment, resulting in a fatal accident for the three occupants in the car. Additionally, three construction workers were taken to the hospital after suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

This incident has sparked a new investigation as the NFTSA looks into 30 incidents involving Tesla’s Autopilot feature. The police involved in the incident have declined to confirm whether the accident was due to Tesla’s Autopilot.

Last year, the NHTSA opened another investigation into Autopilot. This followed 11 other crashes with parked first responder vehicles since 2018. This string resulted in 17 total injuries and one death.

Tesla is one of many automotive companies to have a Level 2 driver assistance system available. Level 2 autonomous vehicles still require driver attention and hands on the wheel while the vehicle is in motion. Autopilot controls basic functions like steering, speeding and braking. Tesla says that it urges drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

Earlier this year, the first Tesla driver in the U.S. was charged following an accident that involved Autopilot. The owner of the Model S ran a red light, hit another car, and killed the two passengers of the vehicle.

The use of “partially automated” vehicles has led to confusion over their autonomous function. Another driver was found to be sitting in the back seat while their Tesla was in motion.

It’s still unknown what will come of the current NHTSA investigation.

Image credit: Tesla

Source: The Wallstreet Journal Via: Engadget

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Tesla driver first in U.S. to be charged in accident involving Autopilot

A California Tesla owner has been charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter over a 2019 incident in which his car, which was running on Autopilot, killed two people.

This makes the driver, 27-year-old Kevin George Aziz Riad, the first person to be charged in an accident involving Tesla’s Autopilot self-driving car system. According to prosecutors, the Model S vehicle, as operated by Aziz Riad, had run a red light and slammed into another car, killing the two passengers.

While Autopilot can control steering, speeding and braking, Tesla says drivers still need to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel at all times. Therefore, the U.S.’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers the system “partially automated,” especially as Tesla hasn’t included driver-monitoring systems like eye tracking. Some drivers nonetheless think they can sleep while the car goes drives itself, such as a 20-year-old B.C. man whose Model S was clocked at 140km/h while he napped behind the wheel.

Outside of the Aziz Riad case, the NHTSA has been investigating more than a dozen incidents involving Tesla vehicles that have crashed into vehicles. In September, the agency required that automakers report serious crashes within one day of learning of them, although road safety advocates have warned that “basic safety issues” need to be addressed before full self-driving is enabled.

A beta for Full Self Driving is expected to come to Canada within two to four weeks.

Via: The Associated Press