A Tesla Model S car that was involved in a crash that killed a motorcyclist in the Seattle area in April was operating in "Full Self-Driving" mode at the time of the incident, police said.
Investigators from the Washington State Patrol said it determined that the vehicle was operating under the FSD mode after it downloaded information from the event data recorded on the 2022 Tesla Model S involved in the crash.
"The investigation is still ongoing in this case," Washington State Patrol spokesman Capt Deion Glover said in an email to The Associated Press.
What Happened in Seattle?
On Apr. 29, a 56-year-old Tesla driver who was not named by authorities was driving on autopilot behind a motorcycle on eastbound State Route 522 east of Maltby. According to the driver's accounts, he was looking down at his phone when he heard a "bang."
The Tesla had hit the motorcycle, causing the rider, Jeffrey Nissen, to be ejected. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Nissen was 28 at the time of death.
The driver was later arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide based on his admission of being distracted while using Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" mode. The driver has not yet been officially charged. He also posted a bond before the initial hearing.
Have There Been Other Incidents?
Nissen's death is the second known case in the US involving Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" system. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found at least one fatality and 75 crashes while the system was in use. This includes an incident in Los Angeles in June this year where a Tesla operating on the FSD mode crashed into a parked police vehicle. The collision narrowly missed an officer who was managing traffic at a separate crash site.
Tesla has said that, at present, its vehicles still need human supervision. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk last week said that the FSD mode should be able to operate without the need for human supervision by the end of the year.
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