Automaker Tesla has won a major victory in a US court related to its Autopilot. A jury in California today concluded the system did not fail in an accident. It was the first verdict related to an accident involving Tesla’s semi-automated driving software. Company boss Elon Musk has described the systems as crucial for the future of the company.
A woman from Los Angeles had sued Tesla. She accused the company of deficiencies in the autopilot and the airbag and demanded payment of more than three million dollars. According to her, she drove her Tesla Model S into a curb in autopilot mode in 2019. That triggered the airbag, which caused her serious injuries to her face.
Tesla successfully argued with warning in manual
Tesla had requested not to be held liable for the accident. The company argued the woman used Autopilot on city streets, despite Tesla’s user manual warning against it.
At a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court, the jury did not award the plaintiff damages. They also determined that the airbag worked and that Tesla had not intentionally failed to provide the woman with facts about the vehicle.
Tesla has repeatedly stated that the assistance systems Autopilot or Full Self-Driving do not make the vehicles autonomous. Rather, the human driver must be prepared to take over the wheel at any time. Other lawsuits related to the semi-automated driving system are currently pending against Tesla. Friday’s verdict may have an impact on the outcome, because in the United States, earlier cases and verdicts are sometimes used in the assessment.
