Focus: Tesla braces for its first trial involving Autopilot fatality
www.reuters.com
Tesla Inc is set to defend itself for the first time at trial against allegations that failure of its Autopilot driver assistant feature led to death, in what will likely be a major test of Chief Executive Elon Musk's assertions about the technology.

Tesla braces for its first trial involving Autopilot fatality::Tesla Inc is set to defend itself for the first time at trial against allegations that failure of its Autopilot driver assistant feature led to death, in what will likely be a major test of Chief Executive Elon Musk’s assertions about the technology.

  • sugartits@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3712·
    1 year ago

    The second trial, set for early October in a Florida state court, arose out of a 2019 crash north of Miami where owner Stephen Banner’s Model 3 drove under the trailer of an 18-wheeler big rig truck that had pulled into the road, shearing off the Tesla’s roof and killing Banner. Autopilot failed to brake, steer or do anything to avoid the collision, according to the lawsuit filed by Banner’s wife.

    Is this the guy who was literally paying no attention to the road at all and was watching a movie whilst the car was in motion?

    I legit can’t find information on it now as every result I can find online is word for word identical to that small snippet. Such is modern journalism.

    I know people like to get a hard on with the word “autopilot”, but even real pilots with real autopilot still need to “keep an eye on things” when the system is engaged. This is why we have two humans in the cockpit on those big commercial jets.

    • ephemeral_gibbon@aussie.zoneEnglish
      484·
      1 year ago

      The way musk marketed it was as a “self driving” feature, not a driving assist. Yes with all current smart assists you need to be carefully watching what it’s doing, but that’s not what it was made out to be. Because of that I’d still say tesla is responsible.

      • jimbolauski@lemmy.worldEnglish
        36·
        1 year ago

        Self driving is not a defined standard, it is a buzz word like increase your vitality. The SAE standards for autonomous vehicles do not have a self driving category

      • CmdrShepard@lemmy.oneEnglish
        711·
        1 year ago

        I think you’re referring to FSD beta and not Autopilot. One is supposed to be the self driving feature at some point while the other is simply lane keeping/cruise control. FSD wasn’t even available when this crash happened.

        • ephemeral_gibbon@aussie.zoneEnglish
          51·
          1 year ago

          No I was referring to autopilot, just look at the name of it. It’s I know it’s not capable of self driving (and neither is the even more absurd name of “full self driving”) but to your average person it intentionally sounds as if the car is driving itself instead of it being a driving assist.

          • CmdrShepard@lemmy.oneEnglish
            16·
            1 year ago

            No you were referring to what you think Tesla said about Autopilot and I pointed out that you were mistaken.

            I think it sounds like autopilot in a plane or ship, where it maintains course but still needs a pilot sitting at the controls. Regardless of what you think it is or isn’t, it’s your duty as a driver to understand the capabilities of the two ton machine that you’re voluntarily operating.

      • Eager Eagle@lemmy.worldEnglish
        618·
        1 year ago

        Tesla’s Autopilot is driving assistance. I don’t know where you saw Musk marketing it as a self driving feature. Hell, even for the misnomer “full self driving” they note:

        The currently enabled features require a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment.

    • Auli@lemmy.caEnglish
      81·
      1 year ago

      There are also two pilots. Because they know people are people. And don’t brand it a self driving and full self driving then.

      • dustyData@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        It sends shivers down my spine to think that airlines want to eliminate the co-piloting requirement in order to reduce costs. It would be increasingly stressful for the pilots, increasing turn-over, burnout and the risk of errors during flights. I would never fly with an airline that makes a single pilot take the brunt of a flight longer than 1 hour. Hell, even quality long-distance bus travel and truck hauling companies have drivers work in tandem, switching every so many hours.