Utah Driver Admits Phone Distraction During Tesla Autopilot Crash
A 28-year-old woman tells Utah police she was looking at her phone when her Tesla Model S, operating on Autopilot, runs a red light and strikes a fire truck at 60 mph. Tesla states it has not yet received vehicle data to confirm if the semi-autonomous system is engaged during the collision.
A 28-year-old woman tells police in South Jordan, Utah that her Tesla Model S is in Autopilot mode when it slams into a stopped fire department truck at 60 mph. Authorities report the driver is looking at her phone and fails to stop at a red light before the violent collision. The impact leaves the driver with a broken right foot and sends the truck driver to get checked for whiplash.
Tesla announces it has not yet received the data stored in the vehicle to verify if the semi-autonomous system is actually engaged at the time of the crash. The automaker emphasizes its standard warning that drivers must remain alert and be prepared to take control of the car at any moment. Local investigators say they are working directly with Tesla technicians to extract and review the necessary computer logs.
Tesla co-founder Elon Musk takes to Twitter to deflect the negative attention by pointing out the high number of overall US traffic fatalities that receive little media coverage. He highlights the fact that the driver survives a 60 mph crash with only a broken ankle as a testament to the vehicle's safety. This incident follows a fatal crash in California earlier in the year involving another Tesla operating on its semi-autonomous system.