The “unmanned” Tesla car had a catastrophic accident that killed 2 people

Tesla is once again facing questions about the Autopilot functionality in its cars. According to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, two people died in an accident when the 2019 Tesla Model S crashed into a tree in Houston. More remarkable, the report said, nobody was behind the wheel at the time.

According to Officer Mark Herman, one was in the front passenger seat, the other was in the back seat. The identities of these two people have not been identified, but one is 59 years old, the other 69 years old. The report showed that the car was traveling at a very high speed and did not turn so that it crashed into the tree stump, leading to the accident.

It is still unclear whether Autopilot mode was activated in this crash. If at the time of the accident the Tesla Model S was completely self-driving, it would be alleged that the user misinterpreted the Autopilot feature, the ability to drive fully autonomously (Full Self-Driving or FSD) or both.

There have long been concerns that users are overestimating self-driving technology and claiming that they can take their hands off the steering wheel and or even leave the driver’s seat altogether. However, even in its beta version, the FSD feature does not provide full self-driving and the driver will have to be ready to take control at any time – the car will require you to drive. every time you take your hand off it long enough.

There have been at least 23 Autopilot-related crashes in the US so far, but it seems to be the first time that the crash has occurred with no driver behind the wheel. Before that, Tesla has always stressed to customers that the Autopilot is not a fully self-driving system and still needs to pay attention to traffic when driving.

The crash is also a reminder that rescue teams have yet to fully adapt to its electric vehicles and giant battery packs. Police Herman said the first people to the scene took four hours to extinguish the fire rising from the Model S. It is not really a danger of electric cars, it will take a while. In addition, the new fire brigade can respond quickly to this type of vehicle, just like the current gasoline cars.

Refer to Engadget