An investigation into 25,000 Tesla Model S cars fitted with autopilot technology is underway after one was involved in a fatal accident whilst the on board computer was driving the car.
The investigation comes after it was revealed that the driver of the Model S, Joshua brown, he was in fact using the self-driving technology when the car failed to detect a tractor trailer making a left turn across a divided highway.
Tesla released an official statement on Wednesday; ““Neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor-trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied,”.
Tesla has acknowledged that the fatal error may have occurred when the car failed to recognise the impending danger that a self-driven car would have otherwise detected; “The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer.”
The investigation and impending outcome are set to form a landmark precedent on the issue of self-driving cars and play an important role in the future development of autonomous vehicles.
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