Skip to main content

Two deaths in Tesla crash with no driver

Victims found in the front and back seats - but this was not an autonomous vehicle
By Ben Spencer April 21, 2021 Read time: 1 min
Tesla says data recovered so far showed Autopilot was not enabled (© Sylvain Robin | Dreamstime.com)

Two men were killed after a Tesla vehicle crashed into a tree in Houston, Texas, sparking an investigation.

The 2019 Tesla Model S was travelling at a high speed when it failed to negotiate a curve on a winding road.

A report by the BBC says police believe there was nobody present in the driver's seat at the time of the accident. 

Mark Herman, Harris County Precinct 4 constable, is quoted as saying that evidence suggests “no-one was driving the vehicle at the time of impact”. 

He added that the case was still under investigation. 

One victim was found in the front passenger seat and the other was in the back of the vehicle. 

Tesla says data recovered so far showed the Autopilot advanced driver assistance system was not enabled. 

A Tesla Model X operating in autopilot claimed the life of a driver in 2018 after the vehicle crashed into a roadside barrier in California. 

During the same year, Uber pulled out of its autonomous vehicle operation in Arizona after one of its test vehicles killed a pedestrian.

 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The downside of driverless vehicles
    October 27, 2016
    Driverless cars will have a detrimental effect on congestion and security while the road safety benefits can be achieved sooner and cheaper using ADAS, argues Colin Sowman. Many Governments are consulting about the introduction of driverless vehicles and even running trials. As 70% or 80% of crashes are caused by human error, the promise of a crash-free future of driverless, self-driving or autonomous vehicles (call them what you will) is alluring, as are the claims of reduced congestion and lower emissions
  • Wilco invests in StreetDrone delivery AV
    September 16, 2021
    High street retailer sees autonomous retail deliveries as part of its future customer offer
  • Aerial ride-sharing coming to South Korea 
    February 16, 2022
    Passengers will be able to access new SK Telecom service via Joby or Uber apps
  • Verra acquires T2 for $347m
    November 8, 2021
    T2 Link provides a central source for managing parking operations