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The above image showcases the recent devastation of a Tesla Model X, whose autopilot system directed the vehicle and its passenger towards death, ramming the car into a roadside barrier. This mechanical carnage has raised pressing questions on the matter of safety in the coming era of autonomous vehicles.
Tesla's Autopilot is not registered as fully autonomous, but has the ability to break, accelerate, and steer. Because autopilot mode is meant to assist (not command), the driver maintains precedence over the vehicle controls, such as the steering wheel.
Tesla has previously been under by federal investigators, and this crash is not the company's only failure. In fact, the wreckage of this scene is so severe that Tesla stated "We have never seen this level of damage to a Model X in any other crash."
Currently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the variables that may have caused the fatal collision, such as whether or not the roadside barrier itself caused the extensive damage. Additionally, the NTSB has stated that it is still unknown whether or not the vehicle was being driven manually, or if it was indeed in autopilot mode.
NTSB Spokesman Chris O'Neil stated the following about the crash:
“Do we want to know whether it was in Autopilot mode or not? Yes, we want to learn that. When we learn that, will we pursue other lines of inquiry? I think the answer to that would be, ‘Does that knowledge present a particular safety issue?’ Because the mechanics of the accident [aren’t] fully known.”
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