Tesla convinces California jury in ‘Autopilot’ trial

RIVERSIDE (dpa-AFX) – Tesla has prevailed in a US trial over the role of its “Autopilot” assistance system in a fatal accident. The car manufacturer led by Elon Musk was able to convince the jury in Riverside, California that “Autopilot” cannot be held responsible for the accident, as the financial service Bloomberg reported from the court on Tuesday.

A 37-year-old driver’s Tesla, who was traveling with his fiancée and her son, left the road on a Southern California highway in 2019, crashed into a tree and burst into flames. The driver was killed, the fiancée and her son survived injured.

In the lawsuit, survivors accused Tesla of “Autopilot” being responsible for the accident. They also argued that the company knew about weaknesses in the system and gave owners a false sense of security.

Tesla pointed out, among other things, that when using the “Autopilot” system, drivers should keep an eye on the traffic situation and be ready to take control at any time. There is also no solid evidence that the “autopilot” system was activated before the accident.

Tesla vehicles record a variety of data that is often helpful in incident investigations. However, this information is sometimes no longer available after accidents such as fires.

The “autopilot” system is controversial. While Musk and Tesla emphasize that it makes the vehicles safer, there have been a number of accidents that have also brought US regulators into focus. This includes a series of incidents in which Teslas drove into emergency vehicles parked on the side of the road with their hazard lights on. There are other lawsuits related to accidents that are expected to be heard next year./so/DP/he

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