Tesla driver charged with vehicular manslaughter after deadly Autopilot crash
- Reference: 1642553891
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/01/19/tesla_manslaughter_autopilot/
- Source link:
According to the cops, the driver exited a highway in his Tesla Model S, ran a red light, and smashed into a Honda Civic at an intersection in Gardena, Los Angeles County, in late 2019. A man and woman in the second car were killed. The Tesla driver and a passenger survived and were taken to hospital.
Prosecutors in California charged Kevin George Aziz Riad, 27, in October last year though details of the case are only just emerging, [1]according to AP on Tuesday. Riad, a limousine service driver, is facing two counts of vehicular manslaughter, and is free on bail after pleading not guilty.
[2]
The felony charges, we're told, mark the first time a Tesla driver has been criminally prosecuted in America for a deadly car crash in which Autopilot was engaged. Autopilot is Tesla's super-cruise-control; it's not a fully autonomous system and only provides assistance to the driver. You're supposed to keep your hands on the wheel and be able to take over at any time.
[3]
In a similar case, prosecutors in Arizona [4]charged Rafaela Vasquez with negligent homicide in 2020 after she struck and killed a pedestrian walking a bike across the road while testing Uber’s self-driving car software. Vasquez’s trial has been delayed multiple times and is still pending, [5]according to the Phoenix New Times.
Police officers in Texas sued Tesla in 2021, accusing the automaker of deploying defective safety features in its Autopilot software, after a Model X driver smashed into the back of two parked cop cars. Riad’s case, however, may demonstrate that folks can be held criminally liable for accidents involving vehicles under semi-autonomous control, too.
[6]Tesla disables in-car gaming feature that allowed play while MuskMobiles were in motion
[7]US road safety watchdog decides against probe into Tesla battery fires
[8]Texas cops sue Tesla claiming 'systematic fraud' in Autopilot after Model X ploughed into two parked police cars
[9]US watchdog opens probe into Tesla's Autopilot driver assist system after spate of crashes
The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHSTA) confirmed Riad had been driving in Autopilot mode at the time of the accident. Tesla has faced multiple investigations with the NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board for all sorts of issues ranging from [10]Autopilot crashes to [11]worn out memory chips .
Tesla has repeatedly warned its drivers to keep their hands on the wheels at all times while driving with Autopilot mode on and its so-called Full Self-Driving mode. ®
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[1] https://apnews.com/article/tesla-autopilot-fatal-crash-charges-91b4a0341e07244f3f03051b5c2462ae
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Yeea9peHW2swzjq7eWmWygAAAJA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yeea9peHW2swzjq7eWmWygAAAJA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/16/self_driving_uber_homicide_charge/
[5] https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/uber-crash-arizona-vasquez-herzberg-trial-negligent-homicide-charge-11553424
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/24/tesla_disables_mobile_gaming_in_vehicle/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/05/nhtsa_tesla_battery/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/28/texas_model_x_tesla_lawsuit/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/16/tesla_autopilot_investigation_us_odi/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/16/tesla_autopilot_investigation_us_odi/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/17/tesla_nand_memory/
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"Nothing to do with Tesla or autopilot.".
No that's too easy, it's all about Tesla and how they are marketing the autopilot. In fact the first error is in the "auto".
I could well understand if some chap got this silly idea that the car will also detect trafic lights.
And if you want to know the morale behind it all, look for the small print pointing out that the auto will not detect traffic lights fully automatically.
I would fine Tesla and not that poor sod. Stupidity is not a sin and not prohibited in law. But just this once.
Surely this is a semantics issue?
What does "auto" mean in the context of auto pilot.....is it short for "automobile" or is it short for "automatic".
One could assume the former, but it could mean the latter?
There are no red lights on the freeway?
The red light was unexpected? I'm thinking the Tesla wasn't supposed to have exited the freeway to begin with? Still can't figure it out from the linked news story.
Who's Driving The Car?
The Tesla's driver is supposed to be in control ultimately. If my car hits another car while I'm using cruise control, you can bet I'll be charged.
About time
No matter what, almost all state laws hold the driver responsible for any fault of vehicle control that is not force majeure. I've pissed off a few passengers who think I'm their limo driver.
3 years to figure this out is crazy.
Slap Tesla with an injunction.
Make it illegal to advertise or describe the car as having an "autopilot" or as "full self driving" as these are obviously false.
An autopilot is supposed to be capable of automaticly steering around obstacles, adjusting speed to suit conditions, and to land an aircraft, dock a boat, or park the car to which it is attached.
"Full self driving" is blatantly describing the car as being a "set & forget" hands-off capability that catagorically does not exist.
Until I, a totally blind individual *not allowed* to drive a vehicle because of that inability to take control in an emergency, can climb into a truely *Fully Self Driving* vehicle, then you can not & should not be allowed to advertise it as such.
The guy that didn't bother to pay attention, didn't bother to take control, & just blithely allowed the car to cause an accident that resulted in multiple deaths absolutely should be prosecuted for those deaths.
And then once he's been beaten with the book, it should be thrown at Tesla for the false advertising that incited the driver to abdicate their driving duties to a system not actually capable of handling them.
Autopilot
Kinda like hiring a chauffeur then having to drive yourself around. What’s the point if you have to have two hands on the wheel at all times?
Full manual: Be continuously alert and control your car
Every active driving assistant: Be continuously alert for the moment when your car performs a suicide maneuver
Sometimes full manual is more relaxing.
Autopilot has never been advertised as auto-stopping at red lights, right? (this is correct, if you're wondering)
So autopilot is pretty irrelevant, the driver should have taken control prior to the red lights.
So seems a fair charge to me.
Nothing to do with Tesla or autopilot.