A Tesla driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter after they ran a red light while the vehicle was in Autopilot mode and t-boned another car, killing two people.
Los Angeles County prosecutors filed charges against the 27-year-old driver, Kevin Riad Aziz, back in October, however the charges were only brought to light this week, according to the Associated Press. Aziz has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently free on bail.
Riad was driving his Tesla Model S in Autopilot mode on December 29th, 2019 when the vehicle left the freeway, ran a red light and t-boned a Honda Civic that was passing through the intersection. Both occupants of the Honda Civic, Gilberto Alcazar Lopez and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez, died at the scene of the accident. Riad and his female passenger in the Tesla were transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A law professor that spoke to AP for its article on the matter said that to his knowledge, this is the first time a driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in a crash where a semi-automated driver assistance system was in use. While the charges filed against Riad do not mention Autopilot by name, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed previously the system was being used at the time of the crash.
Tesla CEO in Elon Musk in 2016
This is the first time criminal charges have been filed against someone for a crash that occurred while using Autopilot, however it’s not the first time a crash involving the system has been looked at by the feds. According to the AP, NHTSA has sent investigation teams to 26 crashes involving the Tesla Autopilot system since 2016, of which 11 included fatalities.
While the name of Autopilot may seem to suggest it enables the vehicle to drive itself, the system is nothing more than a semi-autonomous driving assistant similar to General Motors’ own Super Cruise technology. A recent Consumer Reports study found the driver monitoring system found in Autopilot-equipped Tesla vehicles could be easily defeated, whereas Super Cruise could not be and would automatically bring the vehicle to a stop if it determined the driver was not paying full attention.
A preliminary hearing for Riad is scheduled for February 23rd, at which point more details on this case may come to light.
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Comments
Good, maybe tesla drivers will take notice and realize there are consequences to letting the car drive without human supervision. Some stupid tesla driver started creeping thru an intersection with their eyes glued to the screen when they had a red. Too bad no cops were around.
Tesla should NOT be allowed to have it be named Autopilot because it isn’t. It tricks their gullible customers into thinking it’s okay to be a completely distracted driver because the car can drive you.
@Tomasso
Why do you feel that Tesla should not be allowed to utilize the Name Autopilot?
If you look at the definition of Autopilot it is literally what Tesla Autopilot is. The Driver is 100% responsible for paying attention just as an Airplane Pilot is. Sometimes you need to take over right away just as an Airplane Pilot is supposed to do as well.
You’re right actually, I was referring to “Full self driving” not Autopilot. They should not be allowed to use words like “full self driving” when it is in fact, not even close.
@Tomasso
The FSD Software package clearly states even prior to purchase that is intended for Specific tasks right now and that you are basically purchasing FSD to Future Proof your vehicle if and when Full Self Driving gets figured out and most importantly gets passed by the regulators. It is the Drivers responsibility to pay attention. Whether it is Tesla, Ford, Nissan, Mercedes, and GM. Not one single Company has ever stated that you can get in a vehicle and do absolutely nothing. Well except Cruise and Waymo I guess but those are for Specific Geofenced Routes. Not even remotely close to being the same.
Oh really? Is that why they’re in court? Because to you and me, yes it is CLEARLY not a self driving car, but to people who don’t read fine print and blindly click on things “full self driving” is an extremely misleading name and they should not have legally been allowed to call it what they called it. I don’t have a problem with the system, the name of the system is the whole entire issue here. Fine print doesn’t matter here. You couldn’t name a drug “THE CURE FOR CANCER” And then in the fine print state that it doesn’t actually cure cancer. It’s simply false advertisement.
@Tomasso
What fine Print? Even if you do not read it entirely the car is constantly having you grab the Steering wheel. The name is what the Capability is going to be at some time in the Future. If someone doesn’t understand what FSD is as a Tesla Customer they are complete lairs and or purposely using it wrong.
So let me ask you this, if (God willing this never happens) a GM driver kills someone is it GM’s fault if the Driver wasn’t being responsible and utilizing GM’s feature the proper way?
They.are.in.court. They’re being sued literally right now for FSD being misleading. Red bull doesn’t actually give you wings but they got sued too my friend.
Every single Automaker is literally in Court constantly for so many different things. So again my question to you is Should GM stop working on Cruise? Should they be afraid of getting a Lawsuit?
Super cruise is not called full self driving, what don’t you understand here?
It is always the Drivers responsibility. Why does the name of something matter? The Car can under certain circumstances do Full Self Driving but not always. Keeps getting better and better and better with more Data. Hence why the Driver is held responsible. It is NOT called Fully Autonomous!!! That will happen one day but it is not yet.
Soap has warnings on it that says “Do not eat” Tesla I’m sure has a warning in their manuals to cover their asses too. 100% on the driver for the accident. My opinion
Very sad that two innocent people died from this. I have not experienced Tesla’s autopilot, but I’ve driven a CT6 with Supercruise at a drive event held by Cadillac. All I can say is that the Supercruise seems to be much better. I know personally with Volvo (including my own Volvo S60) that the system Volvo has is garbage. I’ve tried it on numerous deliveries as well as in my own car. No thanks. I’ll place my hand on the good book and swear that had I “allowed” the Volvo system to keep going that I would have crashed at least once for certain. Not only that, but with Volvo’s system you must keep your hands on the wheel (pressure system) or the light will come on and an alert with sound. This happens 15 seconds after you remove your hands. If you don’t place your hands back on the wheel, then the system turns off.
There’s just no substitute for good old fashioned attentive driving.
Curious is the volvo system like the tesla, where it is easy to trick the system into thinking your hands are on the wheel? This is really the fundamental problem. You should not be able to trick the system so easily. It is the primary reason I believe tesla should be held liable as well. Also curious, have their been numerous volvo wrecks like tesla? I’ve heard of zero from anyone except tesla. I know waymo had some slight fender benders in SF during testing, but very minor. tesla has had multiple crashes with deaths.
mkavt: I really don’t know anything about the Tesla system. However, I don’t believe they are anything close to each other. Volvo does not have a fully autonomous system. Volvo has adaptive cruise control and/or pilot assist. Pilot assist doesn’t recognize stop signs or traffic lights. It can’t fully drive itself and it’s basically just a system that will assist on freeway type driving with more gentle curves. You can’t really take your hands off the wheel for more than 15 seconds.
As for crashes, I have not heard of any with Volvo. But again, since it’s not like Tesla or Cadillac’s, any crashes would totally be considered the driver’s fault.
@Dan Berning
Let me start off with saying that is extremely sad people died, My heart goes out to the Families and friends.
I have driven both systems and the Tesla System is head and Shoulders above anything any other Automaker has on offer Currently. It is completely the drivers responsibility to pay attention and be ready to take over right away if need be. I want to know if the Car had basic Autopilot of if it was it was equipped with FSD Software. But like I said either way it is the Drivers responsibility to pay attention. I will withhold any opinions until all the Facts come out eventually.
Human nature being what it is, no these features should not be on a vehicle until it is perfected and legal. Every Rule, Regulation, or Law is on the books because some idiot did what it says not to do. They don’t sit around making up stupid sounding laws, it’s because someone did that so now they have to tell everybody else not to do that. At the Grand Canyon they have signs warning you not to get close to the edge because someone got to close and fell over. YOU CANT FIX STUPID!
And silicone valley want to do this to semis en masse in the next decade……
That is 100% going to happen. It is simple Supply and Demand.
I am in Logistics. The single biggest issue with Prices sky rocketing for goods is the lack of Drivers.
Autonomous Semi Trucks might be the only saving Grace in the future as the age of Drivers in America i believe is the highest in any Industry. They are not getting younger people in the Industry.
Full Autonomy in my humble opinion will most likely be allowed on Semis on Over the Road lanes first before we the Consumers are allowed to use them in our daily cars
Totally dis-agree, pay qualified what there worth instead buy a half a million self driving truck
Why do they allow any of these stupid car companies to put any kind of hands free driving on these vehicles right now? None of them are ready and all’s it does is give the lazy driver an excuse if they wreck.
Because all these tech companies own the polititians.
You are 100% correct on that one my friend.
I disagree, gm’s super cruise is very similar with the exception that it makes sure you are paying attention as well by the IR camera that tracks your pupils. We have it on our Escalade and it watches you as close as it watches the road. You look away from the road more than a few seconds it warns you, ignore it and it disengages if you fail to take over it slows the vehicle and eventually stops and calls onstar.
NO EXCUSE!
I think they should go one step further and hold the companies criminally responsible for overstating the capabilities of this technology.
They’re in court as we speak for Autopilot among other things.
»vehicular manslaughter« is that a usual offence cited in the US criminal justice system?
Never heard of this, sounds strange to me.
» the vehicle left the freeway, ran a red light and t-boned a Honda Civic that was passing through the intersection. «
No automatic driving system can see more in the crossing street beyond the intersection. Such automatization is nonsense.
In a sensible automatization of road traffic, the individual vehicles must LOSE AUTONOMY and submit to a guidance by a road network steering system. Only such a system “knows” which vehicles approach a given intersection, and can steer the vehicles in way not only to avoid a collision, but also avoiding a stop, the latter just by slowing down one of the vehicles and possible accelerating the other on their approach to the intersection.
I hope that my words are not too confusing…
How about the accident where the Tesla left the lane a plowed into emergency workers and caused death.
Before we get the pitchforks out, it’s important to define what Autopilot does. It has smart cruise control, automatic steering and lane centering. It’s not designed for intersections. The driver let his vehicle plow through a red light and tried to blame a semi-automated system that was not designed for it. It’s even worse in that Tesla sells a package designed for intersections called “Full Self-Driving.” The manslaughter charge is wholly appropriate. Other charges may need to be considered against this driver. I’d throw the book at him.
“While the name of Autopilot may seem to suggest it enables the vehicle to drive itself, the system is nothing more than a semi-autonomous driving assistant similar to General Motors’ own Super Cruise technology.”
The autopilot used in airplanes is also semi-autonomous. It only levels the wings or flies to waypoints. They generally do not fly, land, or taxi.
Car companies including GM are pushing out systems and functions that disengage the driver and or force technology on consumers. Guess the marketplace will decide the ultimate fate of these activities.
Mechanical failures, lack of comprehension etc. Machines cannot think and react in real life situations. I have always been against auto-anything, call me old school, but I do not even use cruise control, I believe you should always be in control of machines especially when it involves human life and can put them at risk. Tesla should be sued as well, there cars keep causing deaths for lack of responsibility of the driver because of the false pretense sold to them with these cars. F EV. !
Brings up the argument … who do you charge, the car’s owner or the car. Seems the car’s owner. I agree with the others here that the “self” driver mode needs to go away. The driver would not want me as a juror. Why? You simply don’t use systems like this in what one would call … congested traffic, period. To me he made the choice, this could be seen as pre-meditated.
Well as long as there are killer Teslas on the road targeting Hondas, I’m going to avoid driving Hondas.
Of course I see our own GM in a commercial showing people clapping and celebrating as their truck is “auto driving” and passing an 18 wheeler. LOL If I were the victim of one of these accidents I would pull up this GM commercial as exhibit 1 and ask why ANYONE thinks this is responsible activity for a driver.
I do not understand why anyone needs a system that allows one to take their hands from the wheel. This and all of the other crap they keep piling onto our “infotainment” screens is just an excuse to pull your eyes and attention from the road ahead. Also removing physical buttons from frequently used controls such as on the radio is another blunder in the name of high tech appearances. Just my rant for the morning.
I suspect it is really a gateway to full automation, which the tech companies are salivating about. Uber could cut out the driver cost and maybe profitable. Waymo is also very interested. Tesla of course would like to get in the game as does gm. The nirvana is to disallow ALL human driving and make all individual transport become TAAS, ie “Transportation As A Service”, where they can charge by usage. And crank it up once they have control. The tech industry love “As A Service” as the fees are much better. The tech industry which is mainly software has been at the head of the class for decades at squeezing customers. John Deere has learned recently how much better it is to not let anyone but your dealer fix a tractor by locking modules. Locked ECU’s on cars is another example. Apple’s phone display is another.
I will NEVER ‘drive’ a vehicle that I can’t control. NEVER.
Reminds me of T3 rise of the machines.
Very curious to see if the Car had Basic Autopilot (which you are responsible for things like Stop Signs and Traffic Lights…it is basically for the Highway) or if it had FSD Software. The Driver is responsible either way but those two systems work completely differently.
I am 100 percent all for self driving and otonomus cars and trucks to be free to drive any street at any time! We Need only ONE law to cover the total industry as a whole. A very simple law that one of the software engineer must be bungee corded to the front bumper of the hi tech vehicles..
Wait until this technology is put into semi trucks that weigh 40 tons and they run 4-5 trucks in convoy style. How many people will that kill. Trucking companies are all for this as they will have one driver playing solitaire in the lead truck while the 5 of them are barreling down the highway at 65 mph. All that to save paying drivers to drive. What do they care, if they have to pay out a several hundred thousand dollar law suit every year look at how much they saved by not paying those other 4 drivers wages and healthcare. People better start writing or calling your congress person to stop this insane idea.
If YOU are to Lazy to Drive, Take the BUS. Enough Said.
Airplane pilots have to go through years of training to control a plane and how to use auto pilot and obviously other systems. This shouldn’t be an option for automobiles. Setting the speed at a set speed is all you should be able to do in my opinion.
You cannot go into relax or comotose mode with these driver assist devices. Attention and awareness must be constantly ON.
RIP Honda occupants.