Human Not Guilty! Is Tesla Autopilot Responsible for Manslaughter?
Tesla autopilot has been tangled in a manslaughter case for the first time
A provocative manslaughter case is about to kick off in Los Angeles later this month, involving a fatal crash caused by a Tesla Autopilot feature turned on. It’s the first case of its kind, and one that could set a precedent for future crashes involving cars and driver-assistance software, Reuters reports.
“Who’s at fault, man or machine?” asked Edward Walters, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, in an interview with Reuters. “The state will have a hard time proving the guilt of the human driver because some parts of the task are being handled by Tesla.”
The upcoming trial is about a fatal collision that took place in 2019. The crash involved Kevin George Aziz Riad, who ran a red light in his Tesla Model S, and collided with a Honda Civic, killing a couple who were reportedly on their first date.
According to vehicle data, Riad did not apply the brakes but had a hand on the steering wheel. Perhaps most critically, though, the Tesla’s Autopilot feature was turned on in the moments leading up to the crash. Riad is facing manslaughter charges, with prosecutors arguing his actions were reckless. Meanwhile, Riad’s lawyers have argued that he shouldn’t be charged with a crime, but have so far stopped short of publicly placing blame on Tesla’s Autopilot software. Tesla is not directly implicated in the upcoming trial and isn’t facing charges in the case, according to Reuters.
A separate trial, however, involving the family of one of the deceased is already scheduled for next year — but this time, Tesla is the defendant. “I can’t say that the driver was not at fault, but the Tesla system, Autopilot, and Tesla spokespeople encourage drivers to be less attentive,” the family’s attorney Donald Slavik told Reuters.
Tesla is already under heavy scrutiny over its Autopilot and so-called Full Self-Driving software, despite conceding that the features “do not make the vehicle autonomous” and that drivers must remain attentive of the road at all times. Critics argue that Tesla’s marketing is misleading and that it’s only leading to more accidents — not making the roads safer, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has argued in the past. Regulators are certainly already paying attention. The news comes a week after Reuters revealed that the Department of Justice is investigating Tesla over Autopilot.
The post Human Not Guilty! Is Tesla Autopilot Responsible for Manslaughter? appeared first on Analytics Insight.
Tesla autopilot has been tangled in a manslaughter case for the first time
A provocative manslaughter case is about to kick off in Los Angeles later this month, involving a fatal crash caused by a Tesla Autopilot feature turned on. It’s the first case of its kind, and one that could set a precedent for future crashes involving cars and driver-assistance software, Reuters reports.
“Who’s at fault, man or machine?” asked Edward Walters, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, in an interview with Reuters. “The state will have a hard time proving the guilt of the human driver because some parts of the task are being handled by Tesla.”
The upcoming trial is about a fatal collision that took place in 2019. The crash involved Kevin George Aziz Riad, who ran a red light in his Tesla Model S, and collided with a Honda Civic, killing a couple who were reportedly on their first date.
According to vehicle data, Riad did not apply the brakes but had a hand on the steering wheel. Perhaps most critically, though, the Tesla’s Autopilot feature was turned on in the moments leading up to the crash. Riad is facing manslaughter charges, with prosecutors arguing his actions were reckless. Meanwhile, Riad’s lawyers have argued that he shouldn’t be charged with a crime, but have so far stopped short of publicly placing blame on Tesla’s Autopilot software. Tesla is not directly implicated in the upcoming trial and isn’t facing charges in the case, according to Reuters.
A separate trial, however, involving the family of one of the deceased is already scheduled for next year — but this time, Tesla is the defendant. “I can’t say that the driver was not at fault, but the Tesla system, Autopilot, and Tesla spokespeople encourage drivers to be less attentive,” the family’s attorney Donald Slavik told Reuters.
Tesla is already under heavy scrutiny over its Autopilot and so-called Full Self-Driving software, despite conceding that the features “do not make the vehicle autonomous” and that drivers must remain attentive of the road at all times. Critics argue that Tesla’s marketing is misleading and that it’s only leading to more accidents — not making the roads safer, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has argued in the past. Regulators are certainly already paying attention. The news comes a week after Reuters revealed that the Department of Justice is investigating Tesla over Autopilot.
The post Human Not Guilty! Is Tesla Autopilot Responsible for Manslaughter? appeared first on Analytics Insight.
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