German Authorities Say Tesla's Autopilot Was Not A Factor In Fatal 31 Vehicle Autobahn Crash

Germany’s A1 Autobahn was the scene of a fatal 31-vehicle carambolage last weekend that resulted in the tragic death of a 73-year-old Tesla Model S driver and in injuries to 15 more people (6 serious and 9 minor injuries). In total, 26 cars, 3 semi trucks, and 2 large transport vans were involved, but the Model S grabbed the headlines since the death happened in the vehicle and some media quickly jumped at the possibility of Tesla’s Autopilot being the cause.

Local authorities reportedly launched an investigation into the cause of the accident and while there’s no concrete information leading to believe that they are looking into the Autopilot, especially since the Model S wasn’t the first car involved in the accident, local news reports stated that the authorities are looking into Tesla’s advanced driver assist system.

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mre30 - 1/18/2017 7:45:38 PM

-2 Boost

When is the Tesla Model S (introduced in 2012/13) going to be retested by the insurance institute?

Tesla trumpeted the S' prominence in the safety testing 4 years ago, but a lot has changed in 4 years!

Here is what the LA Times said about Tesla at the time...http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/23/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-tesla-safety-20130824

"....Tesla's top safety rating comes with fine print. Tesla's electric Model S isn't the only car to get NHTSA's highest crash-test rating in all categories. Plus, most rival luxury models weren't even tested.
August 23, 2013|By Jerry Hirsch

One key fact that went unnoticed this week as Tesla Motors trumpeted the Model S' “best” crash-test rating in the media is that the federal government doesn't test most other luxury cars. One key fact went unnoticed this week as Tesla Motors Inc. trumpeted its "best" crash-test rating in the media: The federal government doesn't test most other luxury cars.

So the Model S may be safer than many cars costing far less. But whether it's safer than direct competitors from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz — considered among the safest cars available — remains a mystery.
What's more, the federal safety regulators privately reprimanded the automaker for publicly claiming the Model S scored better than any other car, according to a source familiar with the discussions. In fact, Tesla is among seven cars since 2011 that received the highest rating in all categories, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Knowing safety is a top consumer priority, automakers often use crash-test data to hype their vehicles. But the tests are just one measure of safety and can often provide a skewed picture, experts say. "Safety in the tests is different than safety on the road," said Clarence Ditlow, director of the Center for Auto Safety, an independent advocacy organization. Crash tests only measure the damage after things go horribly wrong.

It seems that, for the small production numbers, that a statistically significant number of people are dying in their Tesla's. I couldn't find any info on the internet - does anyone have the figures?

SanJoseDriver - 1/19/2017 6:27:54 PM

+1 Boost

Also the NHTSA just declared today that there were no defects found with Autopilot during the investigation in the Florida death (Harry Potter). To top it off, they said Autopilot reduced crashes by 40%. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2016/INCLA-PE16007-7876.PDF

SanJoseDriver - 1/19/2017 3:26:55 AM

+2 Boost

5 people have died I'm aware of: 2 have accidentally driven off a cliff, 1 hit the wrong petal went through a garage and ended up drowning in a swimming pool, 1 died watching a Harry Potter movie using autopilot on an highway where autopilot should not have been used, and 1 died in China with autopilot turned on. The last one is the only where Tesla can be seen as at fault. They were using autopilot but not paying attention to the road and hit a truck of some kind in the median.