Big push for Tesla: Autopilot crash not EV malfunction, US state court jury rules

AutoPilot — also known as Full Self-Driving — refers to a technology that Tesla vehicles claim can drive themselves. However, Tesla has urged drivers to always pay attention, saying drivers should be “ready to take over at any time.” This is also what the jurors in the case observed when awarding damages to Xu, who was seriously injured in the incident. .

News agency Reuters spoke to jury members, and many reportedly emphasized that Tesla never claimed its AutoPilot technology was Self-Pilot. This basically underscores that the company’s self-driving cars will always need human attention. While jurors claimed they had sympathy for plaintiff, it would be inappropriate to blame AutoPilot technology for her unfortunate experience. They blamed a “driver distraction” for the accident, which reportedly swerved and struck the curb.

Tesla has previously denied responsibility for the accident. In a court filing, the company has said Hsu deployed AutoPilot citywide even though the owner’s manual warned against it. But in the larger scheme of things, the case adds fuel to the proverbial fire that has raged around self-driving cars, and where and who should be blamed should such vehicles be involved in an accident. Tesla, for example, has failed to obtain full regulatory approval to deploy the technology in its vehicles even in the United States. Even as it urges its customers not to use AutoPilot within city limits, it has the potential to cause dangerous driving on highways.

First published date: April 22, 2023 at 13:03pm CST