The Tesla Model S that braked sharply, triggering an eight-car pileup in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day, reportedly had Elon Musk’s Autopilot “full self-driving” software engaged at the time of the crash.
Breitbart News previously reported that nine people, including a 2-year-old child, were hurt in an eight-vehicle crash caused by a Tesla Model S on Thanksgiving Day on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. The collision happened as the car abruptly changed lanes and stopped in the bridge’s far-left lane.
I obtained surveillance footage of the self-driving Tesla that abruptly stopped on the Bay Bridge, resulting in an eight-vehicle crash that injured 9 people including a 2 yr old child just hours after Musk announced the self-driving feature.
Full story: https://t.co/LaEvX9TzxW pic.twitter.com/i75jSh2UpN
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) January 10, 2023
The East Bay Times now reports that the vehicle had Tesla’s “full self-driving” software enabled at the time of the crash, according to recently released data from the federal government. The Tesla Model S slowed to 7 mph on the highway at the time of the crash according to the data.
The Tesla’s driver told authorities that the vehicle’s “full self-driving” software braked unexpectedly triggering the pileup. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced at the time that it was sending a special crash investigation team to examine the accident. The agency usually conducts such investigations into approximately 100 crashes per year.
The crash happened just hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the full self-driving system was available to anyone in North America who requested it and paid for the feature. The feature is designed to keep up with traffic, steer within a lane, and follow traffic signals, and despite the “full-self driving” name, it is required that human drivers be prepared to take control at any moment.
Drivers are reportedly warned on an in-car screen by Tesla when installing the feature that it “may do the wrong thing at the worst time.” Tesla generally does not respond to request for comments, but said in an update to its vehicle safety data this month: “We are proud of Autopilot’s performance and its impact on reducing traffic collisions. The benefit and promise of Autopilot is clear from the Vehicle Safety Report data that we have been sharing for 4 years.”
Read more at the East Bay Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan
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