Tesla ‘Autopilot’ Safety Questioned After Three Fatal Crashes with Motorcycles in 2 Months

The safety of Tesla’s “Autopilot” is being questioned after it was involved in a third fatal motorcycle crash that made a disturbing trend in accidents clear. The three fatal crashes occurred in a 51-day span, and all involve a Tesla driver striking a motorcycle in the early morning hours with Autopilot active, according to a report by CNN.

While Tesla’s Autopilot system is meant to keep the vehicle in its lane, drivers are nonetheless instructed to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. But research shows that drivers using Autopilot look away from the road more often, and that many of them believe their cars drive themselves.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) agrees that no commercially available vehicle today is able to drive itself.

“Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly,” the NHTSA said. Despite such warnings, the NHTSA is investigating at least 200 car crashes associated with the use of Autopilot.

On July 7, a Tesla driver using Autopilot hit a motorcycle lying on a road at 4:47 a.m in Riverside, California. The motorcyclist, who had already fallen off the bike after hitting a dividing wall, was killed, California Highway Patrol said.

On July 24, Utah resident Landon Embry was riding his Harley-Davidson at about 1:09 a.m., when a Tesla driver using Autopilot collided with the back of his motorcycle, killing him.

On August 26, Ingrid Eva Noon was riding her motorcycle in Palm Beach County, Florida, at 2:11 a.m., when an impaired driver using Tesla’s Autopilot hit the back of her motorcycle, throwing her onto the Tesla’s windshield and killing her, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office said.

For years, the American Motorcyclist Association has been calling on the NHTSA to test for motorcycle detection as it evaluates the safety of new vehicles, including those with Autopilot systems.

“Motorcyclists have long been told by crash-causing inattentive drivers, ‘Sorry, I didn’t see you.’ Now we are hearing, ‘Sorry, my car didn’t see you.’ This is unacceptable,” Rob Dingman, CEO of American Motorcyclist Association, said.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.