Tesla fatal crash investigation finds Autopilot not at fault

According to foreign media reports recently, the US safety regulator said on Thursday that it found no problems with the product in its investigation into the fatal Tesla Autopilot accident.

Tesla CEO Musk praised the decision of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which did not require Tesla to recall the vehicle and believed that the accident was primarily caused by the driver himself.

Last May, Joshua Brown, a man from Ohio, died when he collided with a trailer while driving a Model S at an intersection. The Tesla Model S Autopilot assisted driving system was activated at the time. This incident has attracted widespread attention in the automotive industry, and the safety of autonomous driving has been further questioned.

NHTSA said Joshua Brown did not use the brakes, and his last action two minutes before the collision was to set the cruise control. Joshua Brown saw the truck and had at least seven seconds to react. The agency believes that Joshua Brown should have been able to take action before the accident, such as braking, turning, and avoiding vehicles, but he did not do so.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters that drivers have a responsibility to control their cars. Carmakers must also explain the limitations of semi-autonomous driving. In the Tesla Autopilot incident, one of the limitations was that the system could not recognize the trailer that was across the front of the Model S. Carmakers need to explain to car owners what this technology can and cannot do.

Attorneys representing Joshua Brown's family said they would carefully review all information from the government investigation before making a statement.

Legal experts said NHTSA's findings do not mean automakers can avoid liability in accidents where assisted driving fails.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.