It could be weeks if not months before officials make a final determination of the cause of the crash, the first known fatality of a Model S driver while using Autopilot.
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The Tesla Model S cruising on “Autopilot” failed to pick up a crossing tractor-trailer against a bright sky, sending the driver to his death without any effort to hit the brakes.
“The auto sees moving vehicles GREAT”, he posted.
Regulators are preparing to release the guidelines for automated vehicles in July, attempting to balance adoption of promising technologies while ensuring they’re safe.
In March, 20 automakers agreed with regulators to make automatic emergency braking standard on almost all US vehicles by 2022, a move that could prevent thousands of rear-end crashes annually. FHP say Brown’s Tesla struck the broadside of Baressi’s truck, sheering off the roof of the Tesla.
The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed Friday that a DVD player was found with the veteran’s vehicle but could not confirm that it was playing at the time of the crash, AP reported. They are investigating whether it had been in use at the time of the accident and declined further comment.
A former employee of Brown’s said they rode together on out-of-state work trips, including to Florida. With an investigation now under way by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the possible impact on the fast-developing autonomous vehicle industry remains to be seen. Still, experts say some crashes and deaths will continue occurring.
Before the accident, Mr.
The accident killed the car’s 40-year-old driver on May 7, identified as Joshua Brown of Canton, Ohio.
“I started Nexu Innovations with two things in mind: to make a difference and to have fun”, Brown said on his company’s “About Us” Web page.
It is believed to be the first death involving a vehicle in self-driving mode in the United States. “At least now you don’t have to worry about anything”, he said, smiling, his hands on his thighs while the vehicle inched along in stop-and-go traffic.
The deceased driver, Brown, had previously tweeted a video showing a near-miss collision in autopilot mode that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had retweeted to his more than four-million followers.
Smart cars, combined with attentive drivers, are the safest mode of transportation on the road, according to Bryant Walker Smith, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Before Autopilot can be used, drivers have to acknowledge that the system is an “assist feature” that requires both hands on the wheel. He was not married but left behind his parents, Warren and Sueann, of OH, and a sister.
Mobileye NV MBLY, +2.10%, which makes the technology that powers Tesla’s autopilot feature, told TechCrunch on Friday that its technology was only created to detect rear-end collisions, not perpendicular ones.
“His interest in that field developed”, Mr. Grieco said. The navy veteran owned a technology consulting firm. A person answering the phone at Nexu said the company couldn’t comment.
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The company which provides Tesla with it’s Automatic Emergency Breaking technology, Mobileye, issued a statement explaining that it’s automatic breaking technology is now only equipped to deal with “rear-end collision avoidance” and that “Lateral Turn Across Path detection capabilities” will become available “beginning in 2018”.
