In the United States, for the first time in history, a Tesla driver was charged with criminal charges for causing a fatal accident while the car was moving on autopilot. It is reported by The Verge with reference to the Associated Press.
The accident occurred on December 29, 2019 on the highway in Gardena, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. 27-year-old Kevin George Aziz Riad was driving along the highway in a Tesla Model S, completely trusting the autopilot system, and she “did not notice” a red traffic light at the exit from the freeway - and the electric car crashed into a Honda Civic crossing the road, as a result, two of her passengers died.
California prosecutors filed two criminal charges against Aziz Riad for manslaughter in a car accident.
The prosecution document ignored the fact that the autopilot system was activated at the time of the accident. But the US National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), which investigated the crash, confirmed that driver assistance was active at the time of the incident.
Autopilot on Tesla without human intervention provides steering and braking, and can also change lanes. However, the owner's manual for an electric vehicle says that the driver must always be in control of the autopilot and be ready to take control. That's why the accusers launched a criminal case against the hapless Tesla driver.
Who should be responsible in the event of an accident with a car moving on autopilot: the driver or the manufacturer? This is one of the topical debatable issues in the automotive industry in recent years.
Recall that in 2018, the world's first fatal accident due to the fault of a car moving on autopilot received a wide public outcry. A working Volvo-Uber prototype was running test miles on public roads in Phoenix, Arizona, when it hit a homeless woman with a bicycle crossing the road. The drone operator was unable to prevent the accident because he was watching a TV show on his smartphone instead of keeping an eye on the road. In 2020, the operator of the unmanned prototype was charged, the trial was scheduled for early 2021, but it was postponed indefinitely for further proceedings - too ambiguous from the legal side of the case.
Tesla driver faces first criminal charges in autopilot fatal crash
