Police have said that a Tesla Model S car that hit and killed a 28-year-old motorcyclist in the Seattle area in April was in “Full Self-Driving” when the man was struck.
The driver of the vehicle, 56, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide after he admitted to looking at his cell phone while using the driving feature meant to assist Tesla owners behind the wheel, the Washington State Patrol shared in a statement.
This now marks at least the second fatal accident involving the technology that has been at the forefront of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation.
As for the crash from April, the NHTSA said it was “aware of this crash and is gathering information from local law enforcement and Tesla.”
The investigation from the agency into Tesla’s Autopilot has been ongoing since August 2021 after it identified more than a dozen crashes in which Tesla vehicles had collided with stationary emergency vehicles.
As for the case involving the motorcyclist, state police shared that the investigation is ongoing at this point.
Tesla has warned that its “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software requires drivers to be alert and supervise the vehicle. The company says it does not make its vehicles autonomous.
Musk has been adamant for months that autonomous vehicles will be the next big thing, so much so that he has seemingly shelved his plans to manufacture a more affordable car, instead looking to create a full self-driving capability.
During an interview with the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley club last weekend, Musk said a future vehicle would be like a “tiny mobile lounge,” as drivers will be able to rely on the car to get them to their destination.
He even said that they would be able to sleep, work, drink, play video games, or watch movies, as the car would do all the work.
But, Musk’s goals for an autonomous vehicle have been hit with roadblocks, including a recall Tesla was forced to issue to nearly all its vehicles in December 2023. The recall saw the company add safeguards to its software.