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Driver in Fatal Tesla Crash Ignored Autopilot Warnings
Joshua Brown, the driver killed a year ago in Florida when his Tesla Model S car crashed into a truck, ignored repeated warnings from the car’s Autopilot feature to grab the wheel, according to a government report.
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Joshua Brown, the driver killed a year ago in Florida when his Tesla Model S car crashed into a truck, ignored repeated warnings from the car’s Autopilot feature to grab the wheel, according to a government report.
A 500-page assessment by the National Transportation Safety Board says Brown touched the wheel for a total of 25 seconds during 37 minutes of semi-autonomous driving. During that period the Autopilot system provided six audio and seven visual warnings to resume control of the car.
The fatal crash occurred on a road with a posted speed limit of 65 mph in clear weather conditions. NTSB says Brown’s last operational step was to set his car’s cruise control at 74 mph less than two minutes before impact. His car crashed into a semi-truck crossing the road. The impact sheared off the top third of the Model S, which rolled more than 900 feet before stopping.
The report says Brown should have been able to see the truck for at least seven seconds before the crash. He took to action to avoid the collision, and the car did not attempt to brake automatically.
Brown had been cited for speeding eight times between 2010 and 2015, according to NTSB. The board says the driver of the truck had his license suspended five times between 1984 and 2013 for violations that included speeding.
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