Tesla driver dies in US after fire truck crash, Autopilot under scanner again

A Tesla driver in California of US died on Saturday after crashing into a fire truck on an interstate highway, reports Reuters. This has again brought the automaker's famous driver assistance system, Autopilot technology, under the scanner. The latest crash has again fuelled the question if the technology is safe or not. Interestingly, this comes at a time when the US regulators are investigating Tesla vehicles with the Autopilot driver assistance system over a series of crashes with parked emergency vehicles.

Speaking about the latest accident, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Department said in a tweet that a passenger in the electric car was taken to the hospital in critical condition. A fire department official also said that four firefighters had minor injuries due to the accident, and they were released after evaluation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday that its investigation, launched in 2021 into Tesla’s Autopilot and associated vehicle systems remains open and active. The agency is reviewing whether Tesla vehicles adequately ensure drivers are paying attention.

The statement followed Tesla announcing a recall of more than 362,000 vehicles in the US to update its Full Self-Driving Beta software after regulators raised concerns that the driver assistance system did not adequately adhere to traffic safety laws and could cause crashes. It is unknown whether the particular Tesla car that crashed into a fire truck was equipped with that FSD Beta or not.

In the last couple of years, several Tesla cars have been involved in major accidents. In some cases, the Tesla cars have reportedly steered themselves while the Autopilot was on. In some cases, they slammed the brake when not required, while in many cases, the Tesla cars didn't apply brakes even when there were obstacles ahead, despite the Autopilot being on at that time.