Tesla owner Kevin George Aziz Riad has been involved in a vehicular accident that claimed two lives. Aziz Riad was driving a Tesla Model S in Gardena, Los Angeles, when it crashed into a Honda Civic.
Gilberto Lopez and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez, the driver and passenger of the Honda, died at the scene. As the Tesla owner was charged with manslaughter, his lawyers blamed the Autopilot Feature of the EV, according to Gizmodo.
Man Behind the Machine
Aziz Riad's lawyers claimed that the autopilot feature of the Tesla was at fault, saying that it can control the car's speed. Despite his claims, Tesla has not been charged for the two deaths caused by the vehicular accident. Edward Walters, a professor at Georgetown University, said that it was difficult to prove that the driver was guilty, considering the mechanical factor of the car handled by Tesla.
Then again, Tesla advised its drivers to pay attention even when on autopilot. It says so on the Tesla website, that the feature was intended for use by an attentive driver. The driver should have their hands on the wheel and "is prepared to take over at any moment." It even claims that the features do not make the car autonomous.
The EV car's autopilot system allows the car to drive by itself while staying in lane. It is also capable of keeping a safe distance from the car in front of it. This case shows that drivers still need to pay attention, and not rely too much on the automatic feature as it may not be as reliable.
Donald Slavik, the lawyer representing the couple who died in the crash, said that Tesla is aware that people who use autopilot tend to encourage drivers to be less attentive. He went on and stated that the electric car manufacturer knew the risks, but they did not manage them properly. Gilberto-Lopez's family is now suing Tesla, and a trial is set for July, next year.
Awaiting Trial
The trial is set to happen today for the December 2019 manslaughter case for Aziz Riad. However, it has been delayed, as mentioned in US News. The prosecutors aim to push the date next year to late February, or maybe even further. They claimed that the police officers that were assigned to the case are on medical leave and vacation.
The autopilot system is now being formally investigated by the US government, specifically the potential accidents that could occur that involve emergency vehicles. The models that will be investigated are Tesla Models Y, X, and S, as well as three other vehicles released from 2014 to 2021. That adds up to around 765,000, which is nearly all of Tesla's US stock.
The investigation will be led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has also identified 11 other crashes since 2018 regarding the Tesla autopilot feature. NHTSA claims that the software fails to detect red flashing lights, flares, illuminated arrow boards, and hazard cones. In these incidents, 17 were injured, and one died.
