Federal authorities are investigating whether among the causes of the accident of a Tesla vehicle, registered last week, which left three people dead and three more injured, in Newport Beach, California, the autopilot was activated.
According to the police report, at 12: 45 am, from 12 May, a call was received reporting the discovery of a Tesla Model S sedan 2022 that had crashed into a sidewalk leaving passengers dead and members of a construction crew injured. A special investigation team arrived at the scene.
Among the deceased are Crystal McCallum, of 34 years, from Texas; Andrew James Chavez, aged 28, from Arizona; and Wayne Walter Swanson Jr., aged 40, of Newport Beach, were all in the Tesla, the Sheriff’s Department said. Orange County. Regarding the injured, the police said they suffered injuries that could not be life-threatening.
In addition to police work, there is conducting extensive research on accidents involving advanced driver assistance systems, such as Tesla Autopilot.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that since 2016 have been worked 40 car accidents where autopilots were in use or suspected were operating. Of all the cases, there were 28 Tesla vehicles involved; and of the total number of accidents, 15 people died and 15 more were injured, says the document.
So far Tesla has not responded to the ongoing police investigations and the pilot’s suspicions automatic. The auto company has warned its drivers using autopilot to be ready to intervene at all times.
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