Two people died this Saturday night in the accident of a Tesla vehicle driving without someone behind the wheel in Harris County, Texas, the authorities reported.
One of the deceased was seated in the passenger seat and another in the back seat, and authorities assured this Sunday that they have “99.9%” assurance that “no one was driving the vehicle at the time of the collision.”
The Tesla crashed into a tree on a high-speed corner in Harris County, north of Houston, and it took firefighters four hours to put out the blaze.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the ‘airbags’ have deployed and whether the vehicle has activated assistance, an intelligent assistance system that Tesla markets as ‘autopilot’ or ‘Autopilot’.
Tesla asks its drivers to be aware of driving at all times in order to take control of the vehicle and invites them to activate the intelligent assistance system, as it is safer than driving without.
The accident occurs when Tesla starts testing a system of ‘totally autonomous driving’ with some of its drivers, although it also requires the driver to keep his hands on the wheel at all times.
Some experts have criticized the company for using terms like ‘autopilot’ and giving it a false sense of autonomy on the vehicle side.
The United States Highway Safety Agency (NHTSA) is studying the possibility of imposing regulations to ensure drivers’ attention behind the wheel as new driving automats are implemented in the automotive industry.
NHTSA investigates more than twenty Tesla electric vehicle accidents while using the assisted driving system.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has defended the safety record for its electric vehicles, assuring this week that Driving Assistance enables a ’10 times lower ‘chance of an accident.