NTSB Investigating Northern California Fatal Tesla Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced it will be investigating a fatal Tesla crash in Northern California. The driver of the Tesla Model X SUV struck the highway barrier near Mountain View on Friday, March 23. The vehicle burst into flames and the driver died the same day in a hospital.

The NTSB officials have been called to examine the scene of the crash to determine the necessary steps required to safely remove the vehicle from the freeway. They are also tasked with examining whether Tesla’s partially autonomous driving system, Autopilot, was engaged at the time of the collision.

Since this is not the first fatal crash involving an autonomous vehicle in 2018, it may not come as a surprise to learn that autonomous car testing by Uber and Nvidia, amongst others has been put on hold indefinitely. However, this incident has not stopped Tesla in planning the release of a new version of the Autopilot self-driving software later in 2018.

3 Self-Driving-Car Facts You Need to Know

Despite the initial spike of accidents, driverless cars may undoubtedly be the mode of transportation of the near future. Nevertheless, there are regulatory reasons to be worried about the future of autonomous cars. Below are three things you need to know before you get into a self-driving car:

1. Just because a car is labeled as “self-driving”, it does not mean that the driver can be totally ignorant. Although the computer takes over once the vehicle is operational, the driver would still be required to maintain some knowledge about how to operate it safely.
2. A self-driving car does not totally eliminate the likelihood of a car crash. In fact, accidents involving these types of vehicles can be even more serious and result in more severe injuries to the parties involved.
3. Self-driving cars are not able to operate at a high level of safety in all weather conditions. In fact, heavy rain can result in serious damage to the sensors in these vehicles, calling into question the role the driver might need to play in the event of a technological failure.

Contact an Experienced Los Angeles Autopilot Car Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a defective self-driving car system such as the Autopilot in Tesla cars, you should discuss your legal options with an attorney as you may be entitled to compensation.

The Los Angeles autopilot car accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Samer Habbas advocate for our clients’ full financial recovery through hard work and aggressive lawyering. For more information or to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our attorneys, please call the Law Offices of Samer Habbas at 949-727-9300.