Tesla Autopilot blamed for fatal crash

In Los Angeles, a trial will begin over a 2019 fatal crash involving a Tesla, in which two people were killed. As reported by Gizmodo.

According to the prosecutor, Kevin George Aziz Riad, behind the wheel of a Tesla Model S, ran a red light and crashed into a Honda Civic. The driver and passenger of the second vehicle — Hilberto Lopez and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez — died at the scene.

Aziz Riad was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but his lawyers blamed Tesla’s Autopilot features, which can control the vehicle’s speed.

The manufacturer’s website states that driver-assistance systems “require active human supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

“Never rely on these components to ensure your safety,” the user manual says.

However, a ScienceDirect study showed that people are less likely to monitor the road when the autopilot feature is engaged.

“I can’t say the driver is not at fault, but the Tesla system, Autopilot—and company representatives—encourage drivers to be less attentive,” said attorney Donald Slavik, representing Lopez family’s interests.

He added that the company knew about the risks but did not respond to them properly.

“Tesla knows that people will use Autopilot, including in dangerous situations,” said Slavik.

The Lopez family filed suit against the manufacturer. The trial was scheduled for July 2023.

Legal implications tied to the autopilot function could alter the public perception of Tesla, according to Bryant Walker Smith, a professor of law at the University of South Carolina. The proceedings are also likely to complicate future lawsuits.

“The narrative around Tesla is potentially shifting away from the tech innovators the company once was, now mired in legal troubles. It’s a risk, and the narrative is crucial in a civil case, because both sides tell jurors a story,” Smith said.

As reported in October, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into Tesla over its statements about the autopilot system’s capabilities.

In June, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a report on crashes involving robotaxis and vehicles with driver-assistance systems.

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