Tesla employee with full self-driving enabled killed in car crash
Back in 2022, Tesla employee and Elon Musk fan Hans von Ohain, tragically died when his Model 3 crashed and caught fire. Now, Erik Rossiter, a survivor of the accident, has claimed that the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature was active during the crash. If true, this could be the first death involving FSD, a feature that has already caught regulators' attention.
FSD feature under scrutiny
The Washington Post has confirmed that von Ohain's car had FSD, which he got for free as an employee perk. His widow, Nora Bass, mentioned he used it often. However, Tesla's vehicles are not fully autonomous yet, and drivers must be prepared to take control. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is already investigating Tesla's Autopilot after several accidents involving emergency response vehicles.
Autopilot fatalities and misleading marketing
Last year, Washington Post found that fatal crashes involving Tesla's Autopilot mode have increased since 2019, with at least 17 out of more than 700 crashes being deadly. Von Ohain's autopsy showed a blood alcohol level of 0.26, more than three times than legally permissible. Experts argue that Tesla's misleading marketing might give drivers a false sense of security, even without alcohol involved.
Ethical questions and Tesla's responsibility
Von Ohain's death raises questions about responsibility. Is Tesla's misleading marketing at fault, or was it the driver's reckless behavior? Bass told the Washington Post, "Regardless of how drunk Hans was, Musk has claimed that this car can drive itself and is essentially better than a human. We were sold a false sense of security." Tesla has not publicly acknowledged von Ohain's death, and the FSD facility is still in development, far from achieving full autonomy.
FSD is Tesla's trump card
Tesla's future is dependent on FSD's success. In 2022, Musk claimed that FSD is "the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money and being worth basically zero." He claims that the firm will achieve Level 5 autonomy in less than a year, at which point, the car will not require a steering wheel or brake pedal. However, the facility is yet to surpass Level 2 autonomy and needs the driver to take over the wheels at any time.
