Autopilot accident: Tesla driver charged with manslaughter

Created: 01/20/2022, 2:30 p.m

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

A Tesla driver has been charged with manslaughter after a fatal accident with the "autopilot" switched on.

It is probably the first case of this kind.

Los Angeles – Tesla and the “autopilot”: Hardly a week goes by without media reports on this topic. The name of the system alone is highly problematic - because it basically fools users into thinking their car can drive autonomously. Of course, that is by no means the case: it is an assistance system that the driver has to constantly monitor. Although Tesla also points this out on its website, Tesla customers still trust their Stromer to do much more than it can actually do. Occasionally, some even make life-threatening jokes with the system. The consequences are accidents – sometimes very serious ones. The technology itself also seems to show weaknesses again and again, which is why Tesla has repeatedly come under the focus of the US authorities.Now, in the United States, a Tesla driver has to answer to a court after an accident with the “autopilot” switched on, as reported by 24auto.de.

Autopilot accident: Tesla driver charged with manslaughter

It's about a fatal accident that happened some time ago: In December 2019, a 27-year-old Tesla driver in Gardena, a suburb of Los Angeles, ran a red light with "Autopilot" activated and rammed a Honda Civic like that The New York Post reported.

The two occupants of the Honda were killed.

The 27-year-old was charged with manslaughter.

(Tesla "Full Self-Driving": Elon Musk's autopilot mistakes the moon for a yellow traffic light)

Tesla's "Autopilot" has been highly controversial since its inception.

(Iconic image) © Chris Walker/Imago

Tesla driver charged with manslaughter: Apparently the first case of this kind

The Los Angeles public prosecutor's office had already brought charges against the 27-year-old in October last year, but only now has the case become public knowledge. In the US at least, it appears to be the first case in which a person has been charged with a fatal accident involving a semi-autonomous driving system. (After a serious Tesla accident: Taxi company shuts down Model 3 fleet)

Tesla's autopilot technology is extremely controversial: On the one hand, because it can be tricked relatively easily, as a US consumer magazine demonstrated last year.

Experts also criticize the testing of beta software for the "Full Self-Driving" system (FSD) on public roads.

FSD is a further expansion of the "autopilot" that is supposed to handle a larger range of functions than the standard version.