Tesla car crash in California kills driver while running on autopilot

A Tesla vehicle driving in autopilot mode crashed into a roadside barrier and caught fire in a test carried out in California – according to a report by the BBC.
April 3, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The driver of the Model X car died soon after the incident which occurred on the 23 March 2018.

In a statement, the company confirmed that autopilot was engaged with the adaptive cruise control follow-distance set to minimum. Several visual and one audible hands-on warning were sent to the driver whose hands were not detected on the steering wheel six seconds prior to the collision.

“The driver had about five seconds and 150 metres of unobstructed view of the concrete divider with the crushed crash attenuator, but the vehicle logs show that no action was taken,” the statement added.

The severity of the crash is believed to have been the result of the crash attenuator’s state at the time of the accident. The highway safety barrier, which aims to reduce the impact into a concrete lane divider, had not been replaced since being crushed in a previous accident.

Tesla’s autopilot system is said to carry out some of the functions of a fully autonomous machine such as braking, accelerating and steering under certain conditions, but operates as a driver assistance system. The company highlighted that it is not intended to work independently and that motorists are required to have their hands on the wheel at all times.

 

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • TBTA chooses TransCore to build tolling system in New York City
    October 24, 2019
    MTA Bridges and Tunnels (TBTA) has asked TransCore to design and build toll system equipment for the Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP) in New York City.
    Read More
  • USDOT to host three-part webinar on latest trends in ITS deployment
    January 23, 2018
    The U.S. Department of Transportation ITS Joint Program Office will host a new three-part webinar series emphasizing the latest trends and developments in ITS deployment. It aims to support informed decision making on ITS investments, highlight recent additions to the survey and obtain feedback from participants on how to redesign the portal to improve its use and value. ITS Deployment Tracking: 2016 Survey Findings on Current Levels and Trends will focus on key findings from the 2016 survey and explore
    Read More
  • Image Sensing Systems introduces wrong-way alerting solution
    March 20, 2018
    Image Sensing Systems is promoting the addition of a wrong-way alerting solution. An all-in-one system, it provides reliable wrong-way detection on ramps. Drivers wrongfully entering the highway from an off-ramp pose a serious safety risk that can result in severe, and sometimes, fatal accidents. The detection of these wrong-way drivers is vital to reducing these risks. The automatic incident detection (AID) wrong-way alerting solution can monitor any portion of the ramp with a single zone. This module
    Read More
  • ITS Austria hosts Austrian technology at World Congress
    September 26, 2012
    Austria is hosting the ITS World Congress, so you might expect something special on the ITS Austria stand. Well you are not going to be disappointed! About 40 Austrian companies will be represented on Stand E10 to show their products and services. For example, together with the Vienna Transport Authority, Telereal will show its ‘multi-sensual’ sign system, a new type of info point for people with hearing, visual or physical impairments.
    Read More

Highlighted Content