A man driving a 2022 Tesla Model S has been arrested by the Washington State Patrol on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter after a fatal crash in suburban Seattle.
The driver admitted to police that he was using the autopilot function and was distracted by his mobile phone when the motorcycle in front crashed into his car. The motorcyclist, a 28-year-old man, died of his injuries.
The driver of the Tesla, a 56-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter for careless driving while using autopilot and being distracted by a cell phone.
In his statement to police, he said that after turning on autopilot, he was looking at his phone when he heard a crash and realized he had collided with a motorcycle. He was released on $100,000 bond and the crash remains under investigation.
Tesla’s Autopilot features require active driver control, including full attention and readiness to take control at any time. Although Tesla has touted these features as autonomous, the company has faced criticism and scrutiny from regulators, including the US National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), due to safety concerns and risks associated with these technologies.
Tesla was forced to revise its Autopilot advertising after the NHTSA forced the automaker to recall nearly two million Teslas over safety concerns.
A jury ruled that Tesla was not responsible for a driver’s death caused by faulty Autopilot software, but it was still one of the largest recalls in Tesla history. The company was also forced to release a software update to provide additional controls and warnings to keep drivers in control.
Despite these measures, at least 956 Tesla Autopilot-related accidents have been reported since 2021, with 23 fatalities. Another 350,000 Teslas were recalled because of faulty software that allowed the cars to exceed speed limits or drive through intersections illegally. This continues to raise concerns about the safety of autopilot technology and the need for increased oversight.