Tesla Wins Autopilot Crash Case in US: Relief for Elon Musk

Key Highlights :

1. Tesla won a case in which the Autopilot software was not at fault.

2. The jury found that the Tesla Autopilot software was not at fault in a crash where the car turned into a median on a city street while Autopilot was engaged.

3. The US transportation agency determined that the “probable cause of the Spring, Texas, electric vehicle crash was the driver’s excessive speed and failure to control his car”.

4. As for Autopilot, the NTSB determined it wasn’t in use because the system is not programmed to not go faster than 30 mph on the street the Tesla last travelled.

5. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is also investigating self-driving claims made by Musk.

     In some relief for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, jurors in an Autopilot-related 2019 crash in the US have given the verdict in favour of the electric car company. The jury in the California state court awarded plaintiff Justine Hsu, who sued Tesla in 2020, no damages, reports The Verge. The jurors found that the Tesla Autopilot software “wasn’t at fault in a crash where the car turned into a median on a city street while Autopilot was engaged”.

     The verdict is a major win for Tesla and its Autopilot system, which has been under intense scrutiny due to several high-profile accidents over the past few years. There have been numerous reports of Tesla vehicles crashing into obstacles while Autopilot was engaged, leading to the death of some drivers.

     Despite the controversy, Tesla has continued to expand its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistance features. In February, Tesla received a clean chit from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S Autopilot system in 2021. The US transportation agency determined that the “probable cause of the Spring, Texas, electric vehicle crash was the driver’s excessive speed and failure to control his car”.

     However, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is still investigating self-driving claims made by Musk. The SEC probe is to determine if the electric car-maker flouted its rules in promoting its full-self driving (FSD) and Autopilot software. In February, Tesla paused the rollout of its Full Self-Driving beta software in the US and Canada following a recall of the system.

     The recent verdict in favour of Tesla in the Autopilot-related crash case is likely to be seen as a major win for Musk and the company. The verdict has allayed some of the fears surrounding Tesla’s Autopilot system and will likely boost investor confidence in the company. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own actions when driving, rather than relying solely on Autopilot or other driver assistance features.

Continue Reading at Source : orissapost