Tesla has won its first victory in a recent lawsuit over its driver assistance system, Autopilot. The jury delivered a verdict that there was no manufacturing defect in the Tesla Autopilot system that was involved in a fatal crash in 2019.
The crash occurred when a 2019 Tesla Model 3 made a right turn on a highway near Los Angeles, crashed into a tree and burst into flames. Unfortunately, the driver died from his injuries. This is stated by the survivors, two relatives of the driver Autopilot forced the car off the road and prevented the driver from regaining control.
The trial, which lasted a month, followed by four days of deliberations, ended in a verdict where nine of the twelve jurors concluded that there was no manufacturing defect in the autopilot system of this car.
Courts, but technology continues to develop
However, this verdict does not mean that Autopilot is free from controversy. Many industry players and experts have accused the system of giving drivers the wrong impression that the car can drive itself fully autonomously.
For several years, Tesla has offered Autopilot on all of its new cars, which allows it to adapt its speed to traffic and stay in its lane. However, the manufacturer indicates this on its website the driver must be alert, keeping his hands on the steering wheel.
Tesla is also testing and offering more advanced options such as lane change, parking assistance or traffic light monitoring. Depending on the country, these functions are integrated into the “Enhanced Autopilot” or “Fully Autonomous Driving” packages. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, has long promised full autonomy of their vehicles for the near future.
Tesla Autopilot is still on the radar of justice
In early 2022, Tesla was forced to deactivate an option that allowed its cars to not come to a complete stop at stop lights under certain conditions, raising questions about the safety of the Autopilot system.
Next year, another case involving the autopilot in a fatal accident is expected to be heard. Tesla had no immediate comment in response to the court’s verdict.
Read also:
Tesla: Price drops annoy customers
Tesla: Price drop will lead to delivery delays
Tesla: the price of kWh in free fall!
Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.