Two men traveling in a Tesla died this weekend when the car entered the Texas tree and burst into flames.
The wives of the two unidentified friends, aged 59 and 69, overheard them discussing the feature of the 2019 Tesla Model S autopilot as they drove together in the car on Saturday night, a local agent said.
One man was in the front passenger seat and the other was sitting behind him in the back seat, Harris County Precinct 4 District Officer Mark Herman told Houston KPRC-TV Channel 2. Police found no evidence that there was no one in the driver’s seat when the car veered off the road and crashed into a tree; however, the investigation continues.
No one was driving the all-electric Tesla when the crash occurred, Herman said.
Herman said investigators believe the car was traveling at a high speed when it lost a curve and crashed into a residential neighborhood tree.
The fire took four hours and about 32,000 gallons of water to be extinguished because Tesla batteries were still on, KPRC reported. Firefighters had to call the carmaker for advice on how to completely put out the fire.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched 27 investigations (with 23 underway) into accidents that may have involved Tesla’s autopilot role. The latest in Texas may be the first time anyone was in the driver’s seat during an accident.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has largely dismissed concerns about the autopilot feature and insisted it makes cars safer by helping drivers.
While Tesla warns drivers not to get their hands off the steering wheel when the car is running on autopilot, drivers are known to fall asleep behind the wheel, read or text, or simply stop paying attention on the road when they use the function.
“The autopilot is designed to be used with a fully attentive driver, who has his hands on the wheel and is ready to take control at any time.” “Currently activated features don’t make the vehicle standalone,” the Tesla website stated. However, a video that appears on the site shows a car he was driving with the driver’s hands on his lap. A message at the beginning of the video states that “the person in the driver’s seat is only there for legal reasons. He does nothing. The car is driven by itself.”
Tesla could not be reached immediately for comment. The company eliminated its public relations department last year.
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