It is about an hour’s drive north of Irvine to get to Culver City. That is where a Tesla Model S car slammed into the back of a fire truck on Interstate 405. Though there were no injuries in the car crash, though the fire chief noted that if firefighters had been standing near the back of their vehicle, the crash could have resulted in serious injuries and even fatalities.
The National Traffic Safety Board has said it is sending investigators to examine the factors that led to the crash. The driver of the car said the vehicle was using Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system when the collision occurred.
The fire truck was on the 405 to respond to a report of a motorcycle crash, news reports indicated.
A NTSB spokesperson said investigators will look at both the driver and the Tesla to determine what went wrong.
Many observers say this crash is just the latest sign that car manufacturers and technology companies are pushing self-driving tech too far too fast.
Tesla said in a statement that its Autopilot system “is intended for use only with a fully attentive driver.” The system has been involved in several crashes, news reports indicate, including a fatal Florida crash in May of 2016. At that time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Traffic Safety Board both launched investigations.
NHTSA said it found no Autopilot system defects that might have caused the crash, while NTSB investigators determined that several factors — including the system’s limitations — contributed to the tragic accident. The NTSB also said the drivers of the Tesla and the 18-wheeler the car crashed into contributed to the crash.
It isn’t clear that self-driving tech is ready to take over the handling of the nation’s vehicles.
If you have been injured in a traffic accident caused by a distracted, impaired or otherwise reckless driver, you can pursue maximum compensation for all damages with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.