It was reported recently that has has been another Tesla accident in which the Autopilot semi-autonomous driving feature was activated. The first was a fatal crash that’s already being investigated by multiple government bodies and fortunately the second accident was not fatal. These accidents have caused people to question whether or not this technology is ready for public release but Tesla is firmly standing by it. The company has absolved Autopilot of responsibility in this crash, it’s already said that Autopilot will not be disabled in its cars.
Tesla says in its statement that the driver had Autopilot switch on an undivided road which the manual “specifically advises against.” The company also looked at data from the car to ascertain the driver was not keeping his hands on the steering wheel at all times even with Autopilot activated.
Apparently, the Model X did show a warning to alert the driver that the should put his hands back on the steering wheel which can feel and register a very small amount of force to decide whether or not the driver is keeping their hands on the wheel.
Tesla owners have to agree with the company to enable Autopilot features, the terms of use include keeping hands on the steering wheel at all times and that the Autosteer feature is best suited for highways with a center divider or any road in which traffic is moving slow.
Tesla’s full statement on the matter can be read here.