First fatal Tesla Model S Autopilot crash recorded in US

Tesla Motors’ semi-autonomous Autopilot mode has claimed its first victim. A Tesla owner in America has been killed in a fatal accident when his Model S, which was driving itself using the Autopilot, failed to notice a tractor-trailer taking a left turn on an intersection and rammed straight into it, killing the occupant. The incident took place in Florida on May 7 and is currently being investigated by US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

In a blog post, Tesla has confirmed that the Model S or the driver of the car failed to brake causing the accident. The company further explained, “What we know is that the vehicle was on a divided highway with Autopilot engaged when a tractor trailer drove across the highway perpendicular to the Model S. Neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied. The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S.”

After hitting and passing from underneath the trailer, the Model S veered off the road, striking two fences and hitting a pole before finally coming to a halt. The driver died at the spot.

While Tesla has admitted that its Autopilot tech has failed in this rare occurrence, the company also insists that this is the first known fatality in just over 208 million kilometers with the Autopilot activated. Tesla also notes that among all vehicles running in the US, there is a fatality every 151 million kilometers, and if you factor in the data for the whole world, there is a fatality every 97 million kilometers.

In its defense, Tesla states that the Autopilot tech is still in beta or trial-phase. This means the drivers are asked to acknowledge this before activating the semi-autonomous mode. As per Tesla, Autopilot is an assist feature that requires the driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times.

The NHTSA is currently investigating the matter. Whatever the outcome be, though, this incident has definitely put the future and safety of autonomous vehicles in a fix at the moment.

Some reports claim the Tesla driver was also distracted, as he was watching a movie while the Autopilot was engaged at the time of the incident.

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