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Tesla’s Solution To Self-Driving Car Liability | DrivingSales News

Tesla’s Solution To Self-Driving Car Liability

May 14, 2015 0 Comments

What could Tesla’s unveiling of Autopilot mean for the world of automotive? Tesla has bypassed the typical automaker route of rolling out new models with new features to market at a dealership … by planning a free software update that significantly upgrades the vehicle. Could this system make driving easier or lead to issues Tesla will have to answer for down the road?

Tesla’s answer to self-driving car liability is a blinker. Tesla Motors is launching their autopilot system in select Model S sedans manufactured after October of this year. Autopilot allows drivers to turn some of the vehicle functions over to the vehicle computer including staying in lanes and even passing. However, the question of who’s responsible for an accident in Autopilot is one that Tesla may have solved using an 86-year-old invention.

Tesla motors is using the turn signal, which was first invented in 1929, as an indicator of driver intent when their vehicle is in Autopilot mode. Autopilot’s semi-autonomous passing function works with the help of the driver. When a Tesla driver wants to activate automatic passing mode, he or she must click on the turn signal. While this seems like something that most people did today, for the Autopiloted Telsa, it means a lot. To have a consumer assess the road conditions and interpret that it’s safe to make a pass, that person could be taking all of the liability for the consequences of the passing action. The trust on the part of the driver and other motorists on the road is that Tesla’s system, which doesn’t include a Lidar or external equipment, will be safe for road use this year. The Autopilot rollout is expected this summer; however, will it work in all states?

Autopliot is part of the 7.0 software update for Tesla Motors, but the question of legality is still being answered. If drivers don’t have to act upon their Tesla to get it to take them from A to B using Autopilot mode, how inattentive can those drivers be? The answer to that question will need to reflect laws in all states. Some states require drivers to have one hand on the wheel. Others require vehicles to steer clear of emergency vehicles pulled over to the side of the highway. While we are not talking about a self-driving car, we are talking about a driver needing to do little from San Francisco to Seattle. According to TechCrunch, Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk said, “The main test route that we’re evaluating is the San Francisco to Seattle route, and we’re now almost able to travel all the way from San Francisco to Seattle without the driver touching any controls at all.”

What could Tesla’s unveiling of Autopilot mean for the world of automotive? Tesla has bypassed the typical automaker route of rolling out new models with new features to market at a dealership … by planning a free software update that significantly upgrades the vehicle. Could this system make driving easier or lead to issues that Tesla will have to answer for down the road?

About the Author:

The DrivingSales News team is dedicated to breaking the relevant and the tough stories affecting car dealers. Have questions for DrivingSales News? Reach the team at news@drivingsales.com.

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