Last year, former Navy SEAL and Tesla Model S enthusiast, Joshua Brown, died whilst driving a Tesla vehicle on auto-pilot mode.<\/p>\n
Perhaps assuming that the “self-driving” vehicle would live up to its name, Brown did not swerve or apply his brakes during the 7 seconds leading up to his collision into the back of a truck. Due to the speed the vehicle was travelling at, Brown tragically died on impact.
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The fatal crash has caused controversy as critics on both sides blasted either “human error” or allegedly misleading technology. Many believed Tesla used deceptive marketing strategies to make people believe these vehicles did in fact drive themselves. This largest concern was over Tesla’s naming of the technology as “self-driving” and “auto-pilot”, which many argue suggests to mean complete independent driving that did not require any action from the driver\/owner.<\/p>\n
However, the other half of critics retaliated, suggesting the “gullibility” of owners.\u00a0In response to the accident, Tesla announced that the cars are only part autonomous<\/strong> and driving of the vehicles requires full attention from the driver<\/strong> who must be ready to take over at any time.<\/p>\n The U.S.’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defended Tesla and stated in a report that there were no faults or defects on Tesla’s side.<\/p>\nThe NHTSA sides with Tesla<\/h3>\n