Tesla is in trouble once again. We have heard about the company issuing recalls or customers claiming their vehicles experienced some malfunctions. However, this time someone died in an accident involving Tesla’s automatic pilot system. This is why a civil jury has determined that Tesla has to pay one of the highest amounts related to incidents involving its driver-assistance technology. So, let’s learn more about this situation.
How did the accident happen?
In 2009, in Key Largo, southern Florida, was the place where the fatal accident took place. George McGee, the driver of the Tesla vehicle activated the automatic pilot and got distracted looking for his mobile phone, which resulted in a crash. Unfortunately, two other people were in that car, Naibel Benavidez (20 years old) who died, and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo who got seriously injured.
Now, a civil jury determined Tesla was a responsible part of this accident and it has to pay $329 million.
Automatic pilot
This is a system that allows vehicles to drive themselves, without the need of drivers having to do everything. However, it’s important to have in mind that this doesn’t mean vehicles are autonomous, drivers still have to pay attention to the road and with their hands on the steering wheel.
In this accident, Geroge McGee activated this system and committed the mistake of not focusing on the driving. Tesla said the driver was the one who lost the attention on the road and that the system is safe, but it can’t be used without human supervision.
How much does Tesla have to pay?
Be prepared to know the amount of money Tesla has to pay, according to what the civil jury determined:
- $59 million to Naibel Benavidez’s family.
- $70 million to Dillon Angulo.
- $200 million more as a special punishment called punitive damages.
So, if we add all the amounts, the result is $329 million.
Tesla’s defense
The company didn’t agree with the civil jury’s decision and it is willing to appeal. Why? Because Tesla considers the decision is not fair and it could stop the development of technology that could save lives in the future.
What does the family say?
Of course, Naibel’s family and her boyfriend aren’t okay with how Tesla acted since they said the company tried to hide information about the vehicle, which didn’t let investigators see some data that could prove the automatic pilot system failed.
What’s more, the family expects this tragedy to help avoid other families going through the same painful situation.
Is this the first time Tesla faces something like this?
Not really. Tesla has been involved in other similar problems. In 2008, a driver died in an accident in California while using the automatic pilot system, and the company had to face a lawsuit.
Also, Tesla’s ‘’robotaxis’’ have experienced some issues while testing them in Austin, Texas. There are some videos on the internet in which you can see that some of these vehicles drive illegally like speed exceeding or driving in the wrong direction.
Importance of this situation
It’s true this is a tragedy for everyone who loved Naibel, but this could be the beginning of a debate on whether technology used for allowing vehicles to drive themselves is actually safe. Another aspect that this case could make people think is who should be responsible for what happened: the driver? Tesla? Both?
So, every time you drive a car that includes these driverless systems, pay attention to the road and be the one making the choices. Technology can make mistakes too, so we better be the ones avoiding these types of accidents.