These things are always bound to happen. The computer is not a perfect driver and never will be. So one instance of it happening isn't very useful information from a policy standpoint, though it will be interesting to those whose job is to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

The better question to ask is whether the computer is a better driver than humans, and that is a wicked difficult question to answer. It's not merely a matter of comparing crashes per kilometre. It's also about whether the crashes are deadlier, and in what circumstances they occur. People tend to activate the self-driving more on safe roads than on difficult roads where crashes are more likely to happen anyway.

Really curious to see if there are any studies on this.

So what now? Do we prosecute the human? Or do we just blow this off as another technological oopsie that ended in manslaughter?

Let's be honest, drivers hardly got charged with manslaughter when there weren't selfdriving cars. I doubt that'll get any better now.

It's worth mentioning that this isn't remotely the case in many other countries in Europe. Generally drivers and cars would be considered at fault, even if the pedestrian walked out in front of the car, and the car generally had the "right of way".

driving slop

"Jaywalking" is an invented crime back in the early days of the automobile to dehumanize the pedestrian and promote the car as having right of way. Must be an American thing, seems like it would be since we're now trapped in the suburbia that car worship created.

Yeah but I believe Europe does other things like actually regulate "self driving" cars.

Seeing as they don't release this data, and try like hell to bury their faults, I will assume that the driving car business is killing people left and right simply because saving them would be "too expensive" and covering it up.

A "logical analysis" of the situation requires complete openness and cooperation of all parties, or else it's just the same old destruction of human lives for profit.

So according to the article... here are the big facts.

1. FSD/Autopilot was Verified Engaged according to Tesla's own telematics.
2. The Tesla was moving at 4mph according to those same telematics, which would indicate more of a rolling stop than a vehicle barreling through an intersection.
3. The Telsa ran a stop sign and hit another vehicle, a Honda Civic.
4. Airbags were deployed in the Tesla according to telematics.
5. The driver of the Civic was 82, a strong wind probably could have knocked him over and killed him.

However since some of the information like the 4mph speed doesn't seem to match with the airbag deployment at that speed, and a 4mph crash shouldn't kill even an 82 year old unless there's some other factor (like a heart attack) there are a ton of questions here.