(Bloomberg) -- The driver of a Tesla Inc. vehicle who hit and killed a Seattle-area motorcyclist in April was using the company’s driver-assistance technology known as Full Self-Driving at the time of the crash, Washington state authorities said.
The collision is part of an ongoing investigation by the Washington State Patrol’s criminal division, Chris Loftis, a spokesperson, said Wednesday.
Despite the technology’s name, Tesla and industry experts say that drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel and pay attention to the road while using the software.
The April 19 crash occurred when a 56-year-old driver of a 2022 Tesla Model S struck a motorcycle on eastbound State Route 522, northeast of Seattle. The 28-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. The Tesla driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, and told authorities he’d been inattentive and looking at his mobile phone while using the driver-assistance software.
Authorities determined the Tesla driver wasn’t impaired at the time of the crash. The motorist posted bond before his initial hearing, and was referred to a prosecutor for an out-of-custody charging decision, Loftis said. The use of FSD during the crash was earlier reported by the AP.
Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The incident comes as Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk increasingly prioritizes investments into autonomous technology. Musk has long promised cars will soon be able to drive themselves completely. Last week, during a call to discuss the carmaker’s second-quarter results, the CEO said the company would unveil fully driverless robotaxi prototypes during an Oct. 10 event.
The latest version of its Full Self-Driving software was just released, and the CEO has urged anyone who doubts the technology’s value to use it themselves.
This week, William Stein, a Truist Securities analyst, said he narrowly avoided a crash while testing FSD software earlier this year. He acknowledged that the technology was “truly amazing, but not even close to ‘solving’ autonomy.”
In Washington, self-driving vehicles are not allowed in the state except in pre-approved cases. Currently only Nvidia Corp., Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo and Amazon.com Inc.’s Zoox are certified for testing by the state.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
