Posts Tagged: Autopilot
Tesla’s Autopilot was not to blame for fatal 2019 Model 3 crash, jury finds
A California jury has found that Tesla was not at fault for a fatal 2019 crash that allegedly involved its Autopilot system, in the first US trial yet for a case claiming its software directly caused a death. The lawsuit alleged Tesla knowingly shipped out cars with a defective Autopilot system, leading to a crash that killed a Model 3 owner and severely injured two passengers, Reuters reports.
Per the lawsuit, 37-year-old Micah Lee was driving his Tesla Model 3 on a highway outside of Los Angeles at 65 miles per hour when it turned sharply off the road and slammed into a palm tree before catching fire. Lee died in the crash. The company was sued for $ 400 million plus punitive damages by Lee’s estate and the two surviving victims, including a boy who was 8 years old at the time and was disemboweled in the accident, according to an earlier report from Reuters.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that Tesla sold Lee defective, “experimental” software when he bought a Model 3 in 2019 that was billed to have full self-driving capability. The FSD system was and still is in beta. In his opening statement, their attorney Jonathan Michaels also said that the “excessive steering command is a known issue at Tesla.”
Tesla’s defense argued that there was no such defect, and that an analysis cited by the plaintiffs’ lawyers identifying a steering issue was actually looking for problems that were theoretically possible. A fix to prevent it from ever happening was engineered as a result of that analysis, according to the company. Tesla blamed human error for the crash, pointing to tests that showed Lee had consumed alcohol before getting in the car, and argued that there’s no certainty Autopilot was in use at the time.
The jury ultimately found there was no defect, and Tesla was cleared on Tuesday. Tesla has faced lawsuits over its Autopilot system in the past, but this is the first involving a fatality. It’s scheduled to go on trial for several others in the coming months, and today's ruling is likely to set the tone for those ahead.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/teslas-autopilot-was-not-to-blame-for-fatal-2019-model-3-crash-jury-finds-210643301.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
DOJ reportedly investigating Tesla’s Autopilot self-driving claims after crashes
The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating whether Tesla has misled customers and investors by claiming that its Autopilot technology enables full-fledged self-driving capabilities. According to Reuters, the DOJ launched the probe last year following over a dozen crashes, including fatal ones, in which Autopilot was activated. Prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco are examining if Tesla had made unsupported full self-driving claims about the technology, and they could ultimately pursue criminal charges or seek sanctions. But they could also shut the probe down without doing anything if they determine that Tesla hasn’t done anything wrong.
Back in August, reports came out that the California DMV had filed complaints against the automaker with the California Office of Administrative Hearings. The state’s DMV had accused Tesla of using advertising language on its website for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving products that aren’t based on facts and made it seem like its vehicles are capable of fully driverless trips. One example is part of the Autopilot page on Tesla’s website that says “All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go.” In the same page, there’s a video that starts with a note that reads “The person in the driver’s seat is only there for legal reasons. He isn’t doing anything. The car is driving itself.”
But at the same time, Tesla explicitly states in its support page that “Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel.” Those currently enabled features, the company added, “do not make the vehicle autonomous.” Its sources told Reuters that Tesla’s warnings that drivers should keep their hands on the wheel could complicate any case the DOJ may bring.
Aside from the Justice Department, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also looking into Tesla’s Autopilot system. The agency initiated a probe in 2021 following the report of 11 crashes with parked first responder vehicles since 2018. Those crashes results in 17 injuries and one death. In June this year, the NHTSA upgraded the probe’s status and expanded it to cover almost all Tesla vehicles sold since 2014.
Tesla may offer remote access to your car’s Autopilot cameras
As helpful as Tesla’s Sentry Mode may be, it doesn’t provide much insight from the car’s cameras until there’s an incident. What if you could take a peek at any moment? You just might. Electrek reports that code sleuth Green has discovered hints at r…
Engadget
Tesla Autopilot now recognizes traffic cones
Engadget RSS Feed
Drivers may overestimate Tesla Autopilot because of its name, study suggests
Engadget RSS Feed
Tesla defends Autopilot in first quarterly safety report
Over the past year, Tesla has received a lot of flak for being involved in crashes and accidents while Autopilot was engaged. Back in March, a Model X crashed into a median barrier, claiming the life of an Apple engineer. A few months after that, a M…
Engadget RSS Feed
Tesla Autopilot promo shows what it can do for your commute
Why let fans make the videos when you can do it yourself? Tesla Motors just made public a new video — if it ever runs as a TV ad, it could be the company's first one — promoting it Autopilot feature that do a lot of the driving on their own. Now, t…
Engadget RSS Feed