Tesla in fatal US car crash used self-driving system, authorities say

A car crash in the US state of Washington involved Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” system.

A fatal car crash near Seattle in April that killed a motorcyclist involved Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system, authorities have determined.
The driver of the 2022 Tesla Model S told authorities he was using Tesla’s Autopilot system and looked at his cellphone while the car was moving before the vehicle collided with a motorcycle.
Investigators from the Washington State Patrol discovered the Tesla was operating on the “Full Self-Driving system” after downloading information from the car’s event data recorder. They told the AP that the investigation was ongoing.
The 56-year-old Tesla driver was arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide “based on the admitted inattention to driving, while on Autopilot mode, and the distraction of the cell phone while moving forward, putting trust in the machine to drive for him,” an affidavit said.
A 28-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. This is at least the second death in the US involving Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” system.
Tesla has two partially automated driving systems, “Full Self-Driving,” which can take on many driving tasks even on city streets, and Autopilot, which can keep a car in its lane and away from objects in front of it. Sometimes the names are confused by Tesla owners and the public.
Tesla says at present neither system can drive itself and that human drivers must be ready to take control at any time.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week that “Full Self-Driving” should be able to run without human supervision by the end of this year.
A message was left on Tuesday seeking comment from Tesla.