In a tragic incident in the Seattle area, a Tesla Model S car operating in 'Full Self-Driving' mode struck and killed a 28-year-old motorcyclist in April. This marks at least the second fatal accident involving the technology that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is banking on for the future.
The 56-year-old driver, who was using the driver assistant feature, admitted to authorities that he was looking at his cell phone at the time of the accident. He has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
Tesla emphasizes that its 'Full Self-Driving (Supervised)' software requires active driver supervision and does not render vehicles fully autonomous.
Notably, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had previously reported one fatal accident involving a Tesla vehicle using FSD software between August 2022 and August 2023. The NHTSA is currently investigating this latest incident.
Experts have pointed out limitations in Tesla's technology, which relies on cameras and artificial intelligence. Unlike some competitors like Alphabet's Waymo, which use lidars for enhanced detection, Tesla's camera-only system may have challenges in accurately assessing distances and recognizing various real-world elements.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been vocal about his ambitions for self-driving vehicles, recently expressing confidence in achieving full self-driving capability by next year. He envisions future Tesla vehicles as 'tiny mobile lounges' where occupants can engage in various activities like watching movies, playing games, working, and even sleeping.
However, the road to fully autonomous driving is fraught with regulatory and legal challenges. The NHTSA has been scrutinizing Tesla's Autopilot system, particularly after a series of crashes involving Tesla vehicles hitting stationary emergency vehicles. In response to safety concerns, Tesla was compelled to recall nearly all its vehicles on U.S. roads to implement additional software safeguards.
