According to an autopsy report obtained by Bloomberg, two men involved in a fatal traffic accident last year who raised questions about the function of the Tesla autopilot had drunk. William Varner, 59, and Everette Talbot, 69, went on a honeymoon after dinner with their spouses to explore the vehicle’s “ability to drive automatically,” the County Constable’s Office said. of Harris. Despite images from the home security camera showing him getting into the driver’s seat of his Tesla Model S, Varner was in the back seat when the car crashed and went up in flames thirty minutes later. When first aid arrived at the scene, they initially said the vehicle was not driven by “anyone”, which led to national headlines and widespread control over the safety of the vehicle’s autopilot function. Still, Varner had a 0.08% blood alcohol level, double the legal limit in Texas.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, initially launched allegations of autopilot involvement, calling it “completely false.” He said there was likely to be a driver at the time of the accident. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the car was equipped with the automated driver assistance system, but Varner did not have all the necessary components activated when the incident occurred.
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