Tesla driver will be the first to face charges for accident using autopilot

Cesar RomeroFollow

Jan 20, 20222 min de lectura

A Tesla vehicle owner is facing the first infringement charges on record against someone using an Autopilot system in the United States.

Kevin George Aziz Riad, is the name of the defendant, was driving a Model S when he ran a red light and collided with a Honda Civic at an intersection in California in 2019.

He ended up killing the two travelers in the Civic. California's authorities filed two vehicular crime charges against Riyadh in October last year.

Court records reportedly made no reference to anything about autopilot. In any case, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has been examining the event for two years, has recently claimed that it was on at the time of the event.

The NHTSA officially opened an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system in August last year, following a record of 11 crashes involving parked first-aid vehicles that killed 17 people.

They are also looking into different types of accidents involving Tesla vehicles, including a complaint accusing the company's Autopilot beta of an accident in California.

As sources point out, Riyadh is the first to face charges related to an autopilot system, however, it is not the first to be charged.

Last year, a substitute driver for Uber was charged with negligent manslaughter after a Tesla test vehicle hit and killed a person in Arizona.

According to an examination by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Uber's technology distinguished the victim more than five seconds before the event, but did not recognize her as a passerby. Had she not been distracted, the driver could have prevented the accident.

The NHTSA said in a statement that "every vehicle requires the human driver to be in control at all times", regardless of whether it has an autopilot system.

In the Autopilot section of the Tesla website, it says that Autopilot is designed to be used with a driver who is attentive at all times with their hands on the wheel.