√Tesla hit-and-run driver to stand trial for crash blamed on ‘autopilot’
A Tesla driver – who blamed the car’s semi-autonomous technology after hitting a pedestrian boarding a Melbourne tram – will stand trial for her involvement in the life-threatening crash.
Semi-autonomous driver assistance systems – and the over-reliance placed on them by motorists – are set to be tested in an Australian court in what is expected to be a landmark case.
A Tesla driver who last year hit a pedestrian trying to board a Melbourne tram – and initially fled the scene, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries – will stand trial after a magistrate deemed there is sufficient evidence to support a possible conviction, The Age newspaper has reported.
As with many modern motor vehicles, Tesla cars are equipped with systems that scan the road ahead and are designed to detect hazards and warn the driver and/or take evasive action, such as automatically slamming on the brakes.
However, such technology is designed as a safety net and not intended to be solely relied on.
Independent tests have routinely shown semi-autonomous technology – even in today’s most advanced cars – does not work in all situations.
Because of the hit-and-miss nature of the technology, most car makers refer to such devices as ‘driver assistance’ systems.
To date, all jurisdictions globally – including in Australia – mandate drivers must always remain in control of the vehicle, even when driver assistance systems are in use.
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US electric car maker Tesla chose to buck the industry norm and instead insisted on naming its driver assistance technology ‘autopilot’.
Authorities in Germany and other jurisdictions have since banned Tesla from using the misleading name to describe the technology – because it is not foolproof, and could lull drivers into a false sense of security.
US road safety officials have commenced numerous probes into fatal crashes in which Tesla ‘autopilot’ technology was blamed – or was relied on too heavily by drivers.
Now an Australian court is poised to set a precedent for semi-autonomous driving systems after a Melbourne driver of a Tesla blamed ‘autopilot’ technology for a crash which left a nurse with life-threatening injuries.
Following a day of witness statements on Monday (3 April 2023), magistrate Natalie Haynes ordered the Tesla driver, Sakshi Agrawal, 24, to stand trial in the County Court after determining there was sufficient evidence to support a possible conviction. Ms Agrawal has pleaded not guilty.
The Age newspaper – which, as with Drive, is owned by Nine Media – reported Ms Agrawal, a loading dock manager contracted by Victoria Police, was travelling along Wattletree Road in Armadale in a Tesla Model 3 electric car when she hit acute care nurse Nicole Lagos about 6.30am in March 2022.
The pedestrian was “dragged between 15 and 20 metres along the road, which left her with life-threatening injuries,” The Age reported.
Ms Agrawal had previously told Melbourne Magistrates Court her Tesla Model 3 was being driven in ‘autopilot’ mode at the time of the crash.
In court yesterday, The Age reported, veteran tram driver Glenville Pereira said he was stopped and waiting for a passenger to board when a Tesla vehicle went “whooshing” past and struck the pedestrian.
A tram safety expert rejected suggestions from Ms Agrawal’s legal team that the tram doors may have opened before it came to a stop.
The experts said, on this particular type of tram, the doors are not able to be opened when the tram is moving.
Ms Agrawal faces four charges – including driving in a manner dangerous and failing to assist after a collision, after she initially fled the scene and turned herself in two hours later.
It is understood this is the first time Victoria Police crash investigators have been presented with a serious-injury crash involving a Tesla allegedly driven on ‘autopilot’.
However, Victoria Police does have an understanding of the technology – and Tesla cars.
Its highway patrol division has had on its fleet since 2019 a Tesla Model X to better understand electric vehicle technology and the limitations of advanced driver assistance systems.
Queensland emergency services recently rolled out three Tesla Model 3 sedans for the same reasons, and to determine the suitability of such vehicles for first-responders.
The post Tesla hit-and-run driver to stand trial for crash blamed on ‘autopilot’ appeared first on Drive.
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