For now, neither Tesla nor officials are recommending drivers of Model S vehicles with Autopilot to not use the feature.
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Frank Baressi, 62, the driver of the tractor-trailer and owner of Okemah Express LLC, said the Tesla driver was “playing Harry Potter on the TV screen” and driving so quickly that “he went so fast through my trailer I didn’t see him”.
In another video, posted by the account DragTimes in October, a driver who filmed himself using Tesla’s Autopilot feature reads a speeding ticket as the vehicle continues on, explaining that he had been pulled over because the Autopiloted auto was going 75 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone.
Tesla and the NHTSA opened an investigation to learn more about what happened. Among all vehicles in the USA, there is a fatality every 94 million miles.
Tesla Motors released a statement about a fatal crash involving one of its Model S vehicles that occurred on May 7 while it was on autopilot in Williston, Florida – the first known death associated with the system. It would seem that his death was proceeded by his car’s first failure. The company said it notified NHTSA after the crash occurred.
The investigation is the first step before the agency could seek to order a recall if it finds the vehicles were unsafe.
However, the US Consumer Watchdog is now calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to tighten legislation regarding how such cars are allowed on to the roads and to fully examine this particular accident and use its findings to steer future laws.
But Walker Smith said it would be unfortunate if public sentiment swung so far against driverless cars that people would never benefit from their lifesaving potential.
In a statement on the company’s website, Tesla said that neither the driver nor the Autopilot noticed the white side of the trailer against the brightly lit sky and neither applied the brakes.
Richard Tichenor said Friday that Joshua Brown was “like a little kid” when he got the vehicle.
Tesla said the vehicle continued driving as the tractor-trailer turned, and went partially under the side of the trailer, and the bottom of the rig struck the car’s windshield.
Even some Tesla owners, many of whom can be cultishly devoted to the brand, now question whether the self-driving technology is as safe as advertised.
Moreover, the product architect of tesla Motors, Elon Musk took to Twitter to condole with the family of Brown.
A Tesla P85D Model S was on display in The Lima News parking lot in August 2015.
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A lawyer for a truck driver involved in the accident with the Tesla told Reuters his investigators had spoken to a witness who said the DVD player was playing a Harry Potter video after the accident, but the lawyer was unable to verify that beyond the witness account.
