Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has been found not guilty for a fatal crash connected to one of its cars.
Joshua Brown died in 2016 after his Tesla Model S crashed into a semi truck trailer while using Tesla Inc’s Autopilot feature. According to the ruling from the National Transportation Safety Board, the Autopilot feature isn’t at fault for the accident.
The ruling from the National Transportation Safety Board says that Brown was warned by the Autopilot multiple times to keep his hands on the wheel. However, he didn’t comply. Data shows that over a 37-minute stretch of time, his hands were only on the wheel for 25 seconds.
The National Transportation Safety Board says that Tesla Inc isn’t at fault for the wreck, and this matches with a similar analysis from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tesla Inc has been continuously improving its Autopilot system and claims that changes made after Brown’s death would have prevented the wreck. Despite this, owners are still warned to pay attention to the road while using the system, reports Road Show.
The investigation into the 2016 crash also showed that Brown had plenty of time to respond to the semi truck pulling out in front of him. The truck would have been visible to him for seven seconds before he collided with it, but he never hit the brakes.
The driver of the semi truck that Brown crashed into has been charged with a right of way traffic violation and goes to court on Wednesday. His trailer was hit by Brown’s Tesla Model S while the car was travelling at 74 mph, Reuters notes.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
