Tesla 'Autopilot' Lawsuits in California
In 2018, Apple engineer Walter Huang was killed on the 101 freeway in Mountain View, California when his Tesla Model X slammed into the center median of the freeway. According to date analyzed by the NTSB, Huang's Tesla was traveling at 70 miles per hour at the time the collision happened.
Huang's family has sued Tesla, claiming that the automaker's 'autopilot' technology malfunctioned. The lawsuit claims that Tesla was aware that its autopilot technology could malfunction the way it did in this crash. This lawsuit is one of several filed in California superior courts claiming that the automaker is shirking its obligations to drivers who operate their vehicles in a reasonably foreseeable manner using Tesla's autopilot.
The NTSB has released its preliminary report of the 2018 Model X crash. That report and others which can be found here detail the second-by-second analysis of the driver's engagement with the autopilot system.
California isn't the only state where Tesla autopilot crashes have occurred. There have been several Tesla crashes in Florida since 2016. Two crashes in particular have eerily similar facts.
In one Tesla autopilot crash that occurred in May 2016, a Tesla Model S was traveling on Highway 27A near Williston, Florida, when a truck entered the roadway. The Tesla driver had autopilot turned on, but was not actively engaged with the feature. The autopilot did not detect the merging truck. As a result, the Tesla Model S impacted the side of the trailer and crossed underneath it, which caused the Telsa's roof to shear off. The Tesla driver was killed.
On March 1, 2019, a Tesla Model 3 was traveling on State Highway 441 in Delray Beach, Florida. Like the previous case, a truck began to execute a turn across lanes of traffic. As it did so, the Model 3 which had autopilot engaged, collided with the truck, crossed underneath it, and its roof was sheared off as well. Photos of this devastating crash are available in the NTSB's report.
The NTSB has not made any conclusions about the 2018 and 2019 autopilot collisions. It has, however, concluded its investigation of the 2016 Florida autopilot crash.
Of particular note, the NTSB found that it is very easy for Tesla drivers to over-rely on the autopilot technology. Driving is an inherently visual task, and the driver should be engaged, even with autopilot on. The driver in the 2016 crash exhibited a lack of understanding of the autopilot system's limitations.
The NTSB also found that Tesla can formulate better technology to keep the driver engaged with the system, even when the driver is using autopilot. "The way that the Tesla autopilot system monitored and responded to the driver's interaction with the steering wheel was not an effective method of ensuring driver engagement." In response to that tragedy, the NTSB recommends that Tesla and other automakers incorporate system safeguards that limit the use of automated vehicle control systems to those conditions for which they were designed, and develop applications to more effectively sense the driver's level of engagement and alert the driver when engagement is lacking while automated vehicle control systems are in use.
While it's too early to tell what will happen with Edward Huang's wrongful death lawsuit and others alleging Tesla autopilot malfunctions, Tesla drivers should avoid gaining a false sense of security while autopilot is engaged. Tesla autopilot is meant to assist the driver but the technology has not quite reached the point where no human driver is needed. Drivers should not over-rely on autopilot, but rather use it to supplement their driving, not replace it.
If you are a Los Angeles or California Tesla driver and were injured as a result of your Tesla autopilot malfunctioning, talk to a lawyer knowledgeable about these important issues.
The Rabbi Lawyer is ready to assist, 24/6.
