zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Tech
/
Tesla Driver on Trial for Autopilot Crash That Killed Two
Tesla Driver on Trial for Autopilot Crash That Killed Two-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:25

Image for article titled Tesla Driver on Trial for Autopilot Crash That Killed Two

A judge in California has ruled that of a Model S on involved in the deaths of two motorists must stand trail for manslaughter. This is the first felony prosecution in the U.S. against a driver using a partially-automated system, according to the .

It’s also the first case involving Autopilot, one of the most widely-available semi-autonomous systems on the market.

State prosecutors believe there’s enough evidence to try Kevin George Aziz Riad, 27, on two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, each carrying a prison sentence of up to six years in California. The prosecutors initially , but it was unclear at that time whether the case would proceed to trial.

The case dates back to December 29, 2019, when Riad’s Tesla Model S exited a freeway in Gardena and ran a red light. The Tesla was doing 74 miles per hour through the intersection when it crashed into a Honda Civic.

The Civic’s occupants, Gilberto Alcazar Lopez, 40, and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez, 39, died at the scene of the crash. Their relatives later the two were on their first date that night. Riad and an unidentified woman in the Tesla were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

State prosecutors said that two of Tesla’s automated systems were active at the time of the collision: Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control. A Tesla engineer testified that sensors in the Tesla Model S showed Riad had his hand on the steering wheel for several minutes up to the moment of impact — a safety measure required by Tesla to ensure the driver is engaged while Autopilot is active.

Crash data showed that, while Riad had a hand on the wheel, he had not applied the brakes in the six minutes before the crash. A police officer testified that Riad drove past several traffic signs warning drivers to slow down as they exited the freeway.

Tesla’s official reply in such cases is that Autopilot and its “” systems can’t drive themselves, so drivers have to be prepared to retake control of their cars at any time. But this admonition doesn’t in the way that Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, talks about so-called FSD.

And the debate over fault and liability when partially-automated cars injure or kill people is still ongoing. It has prompted and NHTSA to look into autonomous vehicle systems in the U.S., while lawmakers try to agree on regulations, too.

Image for article titled Tesla Driver on Trial for Autopilot Crash That Killed Two

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Tech
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
knows that you keep coming back for the and Kirkland brand, but you can now also buy a cheaper at your local warehouse. Chevy notified its dealers that members are eligible for a $1,000 rebate on the through January 2, according to . The discount is part of ,...
Jul 23, 2025
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish pension fund PensionDanmark is dumping all of its stock and putting the U.S. EV maker on its exclusion list of the companies it chooses to invest in – or not. The fund is selling all of its shares due to Elon Musk’s refusal to enter into labor agreements...
Jul 23, 2025
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
fans are already cooling on despite more options on the market and news of upcoming models from the likes of Chevy and Ram. The and have yet to be released, while the has recently joined the and for sale in the U.S. And, yet, all of these current and...
Jul 23, 2025
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM is still dealing with the fallout of its decision to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of developing its own in-house system. In the last eight months, the company has had to deal with while still maintaining its in-house system will be “.” Since neither of...
Jul 23, 2025
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Despite in investments for the development of in the , not a single charging station had gone live thanks to — until now. The first EV charger paid for by Biden’s Bipartisan deal has come online in Ohio, according to , which marks the operational start of what the...
Jul 23, 2025
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Experts have said that one of the ways to speed up EV adoption is for them to support . The ability for owners to power their house off their car or from the grid is vital. Just nine EVs on the market currently support bidirectional charging, but now VW...
Jul 23, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved