Tesla Inc. hasn’t done enough to protect against drivers misusing its Autopilot system, a safety expert testified at a trial over a 2019 fatal collision.
Mary “Missy” Cummings, an engineering professor at George Mason University, told jurors in Miami federal cou
rt that the Tesla owner’s manual, which contains critical warnings about how the system works, is difficult for drivers to access.
She also said that prior to the crash, the company was having problems with drivers ignoring computer-generated w
arnings and had not embraced so-called geo-fencing already in use by other car makers to block drivers from activating driver-assistance functions on roads they’re not designed for.
“Do you have any opinion as to why Tesla chose not to geofence its tech in 2019 and create a safe operational domain
when other manufacturers were?” Cummings was asked by a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Brett Schreiber.
“I believe they were using that as a way to sell more cars,” said Cu
mmings, who previously served as a senior adviser at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A Tesla representative declined to comment on Cummings’ testimony. She is expected to return to the witness stand T
hursday when lawyers for Tesla will have a chance to question her.
The trial, which began M
Watch More Image Part 2 >>>
ong the first to test Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s claims that his cars are the safest ever made. It comes at a c
ritical juncture for Tesla, which is making a big push to roll out a robotaxi business as the company stakes its future in part on autonomous driving.
Read More: Tesla Goes to Trial Over Fatal Autopilot Crash in Florida
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Naibel Benavides Leon, who was killed, and Dillon Angulo, who was seriously injured when a Tesla Model S went through a T-intersection in Key Largo and off the
pavement, striking their parked Chevrolet Tahoe as they were standing next to it.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers allege that Tesla’s driver-assistance system was defective and that the company failed to warn users about its limitations. Tesla maintains that the crash was caused by driver error, a defense the company has successfully used to win two previous California trials when Autopilot was blamed for accidents.
George McGee, the driver of the Model S, had engaged the driver-assistance system, but had dropped his mobile phone and wasn’t watching the road while reaching for the device on the floorboard.
Lawyers for Angulo and the estate of Benavides Leon told the jury that the collision was a “preventable tragedy” and that the automated system built into the car failed to respond when it detected the end of the roadway, regardless of how McGee was driving.