In what was apparently the first accident process in connection with the autopilot, a court made it clear: the autopilot cannot be held responsible for accidents if the driver himself is distracted.
Accordingly, it is not a self-controlled system, reports the news agency „Reuters“.
It could be a landmark judgment for the future. Because: Tesla is currently preparing for a number of other processes in connection with the autopilot this year.
Tesla’s Autopilot feature allows drivers to automatically steer, accelerate, and brake in their lane. But in what was apparently the first accident process in connection with the autopilot, lawyers in California made it clear: the autopilot cannot be held responsible for accidents if the driver himself is distracted. Accordingly, it is not a self-controlled system, reports the news agency „Reuters“.
It could be a landmark judgment for the future. Because: Tesla is currently preparing for a number of other processes that will start this year. They are all related to the semi-automated driving system. In the past, company boss Elon Musk had repeatedly claimed that the autopilot was safer than human drivers.
While the trial’s verdict isn’t legally binding in other cases, it serves as a guide for Tesla and other plaintiffs’ attorneys to refine their strategies, according to the Reuters report, which cites various experts.
Plaintiff claimed her Tesla Model S hit a curb while on autopilot
The background to the hearing was a 2020 lawsuit for damages brought by the American Justine Hsu from Los Angeles. She claimed that her Tesla Model S had hit a curb on autopilot. The impact caused the airbag to be deployed so violently that it broke the plaintiff’s jaw, knocked out her teeth and caused nerve damage to her face, Reuters quoted from the lawsuit as saying. Tesla denied liability for the 2019 accident.
A jury in California gave Tesla a sweeping victory in this trial this Friday. The Verdict: The automaker’s autopilot feature didn’t fail. The plaintiff Justine Hsu is therefore not entitled to any compensation.
“Autopilot never admitted it was self-propelled. It’s not a self-driving car”
For example, 63-year-old juror Mitchell Vasseur told Reuters after the verdict on Friday that the electric car manufacturer had made it clear that the partially automated driving software was not a self-controlled system and that the driver’s distraction was to blame.
“Autopilot never admitted it was self-propelled. It’s not a self-driving car,” Vasseur said. “It’s an automatic assistant and they insisted that the driver always had to be alert.” Jury chair Olivia Apsher, 31, also said the Autopilot system reminds the driver when he’s not in control adequately takes over. “It’s your vehicle,” she said. “There are both audible and visual warnings to the driver advising it is your responsibility.”
Donald Slavik, an attorney for plaintiff Hsu, said according to Reuters that while he understood the jury’s belief that his client was distracted, she received a warning less than a second before hitting the curb, her hands to put on the steering wheel. When asked by Reuters, a Tesla representative could not be reached for comment.
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