Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system is at the heart of many of its cars – and the EV giant just won the first of several upcoming lawsuits that could be key on the long road to fully self-driving cars.
A civil lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court in California alleges that the Autopilot system caused owner Micah Lee’s Model 3 to suddenly veer off the freeway east of Los Angeles at 65 miles per hour, at palm tree collided and caught fire. time frame of seconds, according to Reuters.
The 2019 crash killed Lee and seriously injured his two passengers, including a then eight-year-old boy. The two survivors demanded $400 million in damages, but according to… The guard The electric vehicle maker claimed it was unclear whether the autopilot function was engaged at the time of the crash.
Tesla’s Autopilot system, which can be upgraded to a full self-driving system (FSD) for an additional fee, is present in many of the brand’s current models and promotes a high level of autonomous driving capabilities that allows the driver to delegate certain driving tasks to him can transfer. the car.
However, the company has always maintained that fully autonomous driving is not ready yet and that the driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at all times, despite the potentially confusing Autopilot name.
This is the second case Tesla has won this year involving its autonomous driving systems, successfully in Los Angeles after allegations from a Model S owner who claimed his vehicle crashed into the curb and injured the driver.
In both cases, the jury has so far agreed that the ultimate responsibility for this technology lay with the human behind the wheel.
A win for Tesla, but a loss for autonomous driving?
According to ReutersBryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, said the outcome in both cases shows that “our juries are still really focused on the idea that a human is in the driver’s seat where the money ends.”
This argument has helped Tesla win in court, but it could prove troublesome for the future of autonomous driving in passenger cars, where the most powerful systems will supposedly allow drivers and passengers to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the steering wheel. to get.
Tesla repeatedly gets into trouble for its reporting, such as calling its autonomous driving functions ‘full self-driving’ (FSD). Reuters recently reported that the automaker is facing a criminal investigation over its claims that its cars can drive themselves.
But if the law continues to side with driver responsibility, this could prove to be a major stumbling block in the near future towards the ultimate goal of autonomous driving in passenger cars, where drivers can sit back and relax while the technology does the hard work. does work.