Tesla has been found partly responsible for a fatal crash where its Autopilot driver assistance technology was involved, and the electric car maker has been ordered to pay US$243 million (RM1.03 billion) in damages, AP has reported.
The federal jury in Miami, Florida found that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed, and that not all blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one that admitted to being distracted by a mobile device before crashing into a parked vehicle with two occupants, killing one and seriously injuring another, according to the report.
In the 2019 incident in Florida, a Tesla Model S driven by George McGee was being operated on Autopilot when the vehicle ran past a stop sign, through an intersection and collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe that was parked, which was occupied by Naibel Benavides Leon and Dillon Angulo, according to Electrek. Benavides died, and Angulo sustained injuries from the crash.
The driver of the Model S, McGee reportedly dropped his phone and looked down to retrieve it when the collision occurred. Local police charged McGee with reckless driving, while the families of the victims sued both McGee and Tesla. McGee settled with the plaintiffs, but Tesla did not, which led to the trial, wrote Electrek.
According to Electrek, Tesla has been found to be 33% liable for the crash, and so the US$243 million (RM1.03 billion) sum ordered is comprised of 33% of the US$129 million (RM546 million) in compensatory damages, and US$200 million (RM847 million) in punitive damages.
The “verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardise Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology. We plan to appeal given the substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial,” the carmaker said in a statement.
“The evidence has always shown that this driver was solely at fault because he was speeding, with his foot on the accelerator – which overrode Autopilot – as he rummaged for his dropped phone without his eyes on the road. To be clear, no car in 2019, and none today, would have prevented this crash,” Tesla’s statement continued.
“Tesla designed [Autopilot] only for controlled access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere, alongside Elon Musk telling the world Autopilot drove better than humans,” said the plaintiffs’ lead lawyer Brett Schreiber. “Words matter, and if someone is playing fast and lose with words, they’re playing fast and lose with information and facts,” Schreiber was quoted by AP as saying.
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Hands free driving, definitely manufacturer to bare for any accidents.
However, Malaysian law doesn’t allow hands free autopilot cruise yet.
Kalau tak tipu bukan Tesla.Fanboys sudah marah, hehe.
so glad more and more people are realising this
teslies, period.