Tesla has taken today’s driving to the next level with its new autopilot system. According to Tesla Autopilot On Wikipedia, Its features are lane centering, traffic-aware cruise control, automatic lane changes, semi-autonomous navigation on limited-access freeways, self-parking, and the ability to summon the car from a garage or parking spot. Even with all these features, the driver is responsible for always keeping an eye on the car and how it’s driving on its. must keep their hands on the wheel or any contact that can be used to guide the car if anything goes wrong. Tesla claims the feature can help reduce accidents caused by driver negligence and long-time fatigue. Elon Musk, the creator of Tesla, first came up with the idea of autopilot publicly in 2013, noting that “Autopilot is a good thing to have in planes, and we should have it in cars.” In October of 2014, the company offered the choice for customers to pre-purchase the autopilot feature.

    Wikipedia states that on December 29, 2019, a Honda Civic pulled into an intersection in Gardena California. It was after midnight and the traffic light was green. As the Civic pulled into the intersection, a Tesla Model S was on Autopilot mode. The Tesla exited the freeway and ran the red light and proceeded to crash into the Civic. Thus killing the driver, Gilberto Alcazar Lopez, and the passenger, Maria Guadalupe Nieves-López. About 2 years later Los Angeles County filed two counts of vehicle manslaughter against the driver of the Tesla. Experts say it’s the first felony in the U.S for a driver to be accused of a fatal accident while using  Autopilot mode in their car. The driver, 27-year-old Kevin George Ariz Riad, pleaded innocent. Kevin is a limousine service driver and while the case is pending, Riad is free on bail. Riad’s attorney of defense hadn’t responded to any comments or requests for comments. Kevin Riad wanted to schedule a preliminary meeting on February 23. The defendant is the first person to have felony charges in the U.S. because of a fatal crash. Which involves the use of self-driving technology. The same self-driving technology that Tesla uses for AutoPilot This case has led people to the confusion of automated driving where safety is a concern. While the criminal charge isn’t the first one involving an Autopilot system, this is the first case involving a widely used driver technology.

The misuse of the autopilot feature, which can control steering, speed, and braking,  has occurred in multiple situations and is the subject of investigations by two federal agencies. The filing of charges in the California crash could serve as notice to drivers who use systems like Autopilot that they cannot rely on them to control vehicles.