- Tesla has won a lawsuit in the USA over a fatal accident related to Tesla’s autopilot.
- According to the financial service Bloomberg, the jury came to the conclusion: The vehicle in question had no manufacturing defect.
- It is generally controversial whether Tesla’s autopilot system increases safety or not.
A Tesla that was allegedly on autopilot left the road on a Southern California highway in 2019. The 37-year-old driver was killed in the accident. Two passengers were seriously injured. They sued the car manufacturer.
In the lawsuit, survivors accused Tesla of claiming that Autopilot was responsible for the accident. They also argued that the company knew about weaknesses in the system and gave owners a false sense of security.
Legend:
To this day, there is heated debate as to whether “Autopilot” actually increases road safety, as Tesla claims.
Keystone/GAETAN BALLY
Tesla pointed out, among other things, that when using the autopilot system, drivers should keep an eye on the traffic situation and be ready to take control at any time. There is also no solid evidence that the system was activated before the accident.
The car manufacturer led by Elon Musk was finally able to convince the jury in Riverside, California that the autopilot could not be held responsible for the accident.
Additional lawsuits will be heard soon
The autopilot system is controversial. While Musk and Tesla emphasize that it makes the vehicles safer, there have been a number of accidents that have also brought US regulators into focus. This includes a series of incidents in which Teslas drove into emergency vehicles parked on the side of the road with their hazard lights on.
There are other accident-related lawsuits that are expected to come to trial next year, which is why the ruling is very important for Tesla.