US NTSB: Tesla Autopilot Unlikely Linked to Fatal Accident

Photo by WSJ

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Last month, an investigation by authorities found no connection between the Tesla vehicle accident in Texas, which resulted in two deaths, and the Autopilot autonomous driving system.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 10th (local time), the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated in a preliminary investigation report released that day, results from driving tests with the same vehicle model suggested that the automatic control system via the vehicle's Autopilot function was unlikely to have been engaged at the accident site.

The NTSB also reported that upon reviewing security camera footage from the vehicle owner's home, one of the accident victims was seen sitting in the driver's seat, while the other was seen entering the front passenger seat.

After the vehicle accident on the 17th of last month, no one was found in the driver's seat, raising suspicions that the accident might have occurred during autonomous driving via Autopilot. At that time, the two victims were found deceased in the front passenger seat and the rear seat, respectively, in the vehicle that was completely burned.

The NTSB did not comment on whether the occupant who sat in the driver's seat moved to the rear seat inside the vehicle, but the investigation results raised the possibility that the occupant may have actually been driving.

Foreign media expect that it will take about one to two years for the NTSB to reach a conclusion on the cause of the accident.

Through this preliminary investigation report, the NTSB explained that it recovered and analyzed the vehicle's data recorder containing information such as vehicle speed, airbag deployment, and seatbelt usage, while other storage devices that could provide clues to the cause of the accident were completely destroyed by the vehicle fire.