Tesla said Monday that one of Autopilot’s features was active during the April 17 crash that killed two men in Spring, Texas. According to a CNN news report, police said neither of the men was in the driver’s seat at the time of the crash. Autopilot is a suite of driver-assist features, including traffic-aware cruise control and Autosteer. Traffic-aware cruise control matches the car’s speed to surrounding traffic, while Autosteer helps steer in clearly marked lanes.
Deadly Crash and Investigation
According to officials, the Tesla, a 2019 Model S, was speeding around a curve in Texas when it veered off the road approximately 100 feet and collided with a tree. One man was in the front passenger seat, and another was seated in the rear. Police said that just minutes before the crash, the men’s wives watched them leave in the Tesla after they said they wanted to drive and were talking about the Autopilot feature.
CNN reports that Tesla’s revelation may be at odds with its CEO Elon Musk’s initial description of the crash, who said two says after the crash that “data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled.” It’s unclear if Musk meant the whole suite or just the individual features when he said Autopilot was best for his company.
Model S drivers can activate traffic-aware cruise control at the currently detected speed limit by pulling the Autopilot stalk on the steering wheel toward them. When they do that in quick succession a second time, the Autosteer system will activate. Officials said the Tesla that crashed in Texas did not have Autosteer active. Some experts say one plausible explanation for the Texas crash could have been that the driver was confused and perhaps thought they had activated Autosteer.
Controversy Over Autopilot
Tesla first released Autopilot in 2015. It has been a popular feature with Tesla drivers. However, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) criticized it after two previous crashes. In 2017, the NTSB called on Tesla to develop better ways to ensure drivers were paying attention to the road. Consumer Reports says the name Autopilot is dangerous because it misleads consumers into thinking it is fully autonomous.
Our auto defect attorneys have consistently maintained that driverless or semi-automated technology should not be available until it is ready for real-time roadway conditions. Autopilot has lulled drivers into a sense of false security, leading them to believe it’s safe to let the vehicle cruise. At the same time, on autopilot and not pay attention to the road.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/28/cars/tesla-texas-crash-autopilot/index.html
