Yesterday, 30th July 2016, TESLA MOTORS released a blog post about their first ever TESLA AUTOPILOT car crash that also cost one life. The person on the driver’s seat has been reported dead as a result of the accident injuries. Tesla claims that it is their first known fatality in about 130 million miles which is much greater than average number of miles for a US vehicle. The NHTSA (National Highway Transport Safety Administration) is presently investigating the car crash, checking if the autopilot system worked as per the expectations.
As per the information, the autopilot engaged Tesla vehicle was on a divided road when the tractor trailer drove perpendicular to the Model S. Tesla said that both the driver and the autopilot did not notice the trailer against the sunny sky, so the system couldn’t apply brakes. It also claims that in a situation when something hits the car from either front or rear, the car’s radar would sense it and prevent accident.
This has also been taken as a reminder by Tesla to the public that the autopilot technology is new and still being tried and tested. Tesla urges and warns us, saying that the system disables Autopilot by default, so the drivers must always keep their hands on the steering wheel, ready to take command whenever required. Even the system keeps checking, if the drivers hands are on the wheel or not, and alerts and asks them to do so. Let’s hope, Tesla takes a lesson from the accident and the Autopilot system becomes even safer, after today.
