Tesla releases statement condemning driver who died in Tesla Model X accident



On March 23, 2018, it was widely reported that the driver of a Tesla Model X died in an accident. Although the cause of the accident is under investigation, many drivers have reported that ``Tesla's autopilot function sometimes misidentifies lanes.'' However, Tesla claims that ``the driver did not follow the warning issued by the car'' and ``did not keep his hands on the steering wheel,'' and released a statement that seemed to blame the deceased driver. I am.

ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: Tesla issues strongest statement yet blaming driver for deadly crash | abc7news.com

http://abc7news.com/automotive/exclusive-tesla-issues-strongest-statement-yet-blaming-driver-for-deadly-crash/3325908/

Tesla Model X Involved in Fatal Fiery Crash on Highway 101 in Mountview - autoevolution
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-model-x-involved-in-fatal-fiery-crash-on-highway-101-in-mountview-124517.html

Details of the accident can be read from the article below. A similar accident occurred in September 2017 with the Tesla Model It has been found that, depending on the lighting conditions, a branch road may be mistaken for a lane.

It turns out that the Tesla Model X accident in which the driver died occurred under similar circumstances to past cases - GIGAZINE



The person who was involved in the accident was 38-year-old Walter Huang, who was working as an engineer at Apple. According to his wife, Sevonne, Huang had previously talked about ``Tesla's autopilot running towards a barrier in the same place,'' and when Sevonne saw the accident on the news, she immediately took action. It was discovered that Huang was the one who caused the accident.

Tesla admits that Autopilot was in use at the time of the accident, but says that Huang took his hands off the steering wheel for six seconds immediately before the accident. On the other hand, Mr. Huang's younger brother Will said, ``Mr. Huang was not the type to take his hands off the steering wheel.He was always a careful driver.''

Meanwhile, Tesla released a statement regarding the accident.



The contents of the statement are as follows.

“I am so sorry for the loss of your family.

According to his family, Huang was aware that Autopilot was not perfect and viewed it as particularly unreliable in certain locations, but Huang continued to use Autopilot in those locations. I did. The day the accident occurred, the weather was clear and conditions were clear, with visibility several hundred feet ahead. In this situation, the accident occurred only because Mr. Huang was not paying attention to the road, despite the car's repeated warnings.

There is a ``breach of promise'' as a basic premise for both moral and legal responsibility, but it does not exist here. Tesla requires drivers to use caution and keep their hands on the steering wheel when using Autopilot. Also, caution is taken every time you use autopilot. If the system detects that the driver's hands are not on the steering wheel, it provides a visual and audible warning. Warnings were issued multiple times on the day Mr. Huang drove.

We understand that Mr. Huang's family is understandably saddened by his loss, but it is wrong to say that ``Autopilot is not safe and will hurt people on the road.'' It's an impression. The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that even with the initial autopilot function, there were 40% fewer accidents than usual, and the function has evolved significantly since then. That's why other family members' loved ones are still alive and not in the news.'

Sevonne and others who have decided to file a lawsuit against Tesla have hired a lawyer, and lawyer Mike Fong said, ``Tesla has hired Huang to distract from his family's concerns about Autopilot.'' 'Sensors misidentify the lanes marked on the road, and the system fails to detect stationary objects.'



The accident is currently being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, and Fong said, ``We have no plans to file charges until the investigation is complete.''

in Ride, Posted by darkhorse_log