Tesla Car in ‘Full Self-Driving’ Mode Kills Seattle Motorcyclist

A Tesla Model S car, operating in “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) mode, was involved in a fatal accident that killed a 28-year-old motorcyclist in the Seattle area in April, police confirmed. This incident marks at least the second fatal accident involving Tesla’s FSD technology.

The 56-year-old driver of the Tesla was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide after admitting to looking at his cell phone while using the driver assistance feature. Tesla states that its FSD software requires active driver supervision and does not make vehicles autonomous.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is aware of the crash and is gathering information. The NHTSA had previously reported one fatal accident involving a Tesla vehicle using FSD software between August 2022 and August 2023.

Experts point out the limitations of Tesla’s camera-dependent system, highlighting the challenges of accurately detecting objects and measuring distances. Tesla’s rivals, such as Alphabet’s Waymo, use additional sensors like lidars to enhance driving environment detection.

This incident comes as Elon Musk continues to push for the development of self-driving vehicles. Despite growing regulatory scrutiny and previous recalls, Musk remains optimistic about achieving full self-driving capability.