Elon Musk is facing criticism following the death of a 31-year-old man who crashed his Tesla while using the vehicle’s self-driving ‘autopilot’ function.
On February 18, 2023, Genesis Giovanni Mendoza Martinez, 31, tragically lost his life when his Tesla, operating in ‘autopilot’ mode, was involved in a crash. The ‘autopilot’ system allows drivers to relinquish control as the car drives itself.
A lawsuit has been initiated by Mendoza’s parents, Eduardo and Maria, along with his brother Caleb, who was injured in the incident.
The family is holding Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk accountable, alleging that the ‘autopilot’ feature was not adequately equipped for safe road use.
Tesla has defended itself, stating that their vehicles are designed with safety in mind and adhere to applicable state laws.
The company also suggested that Mendoza’s own actions might have contributed to the accident.
“No additional warnings would have, or could have prevented the alleged incident, the injuries, losses and damages alleged,” Tesla stated in a court filing.
Criticism of Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ technology isn’t confined to the family. The US government, particularly transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, has voiced strong opposition to the technology.
Attorney Brett Schreiber, representing the Mendoza family, told the Independent: “This is yet another example of Tesla using our public roadways to perform research and development of its autonomous driving technology.
“What’s worse is that Tesla knows that many of its earlier model vehicles continue to drive our roadways today with this same defect putting first responders and the public at risk.”
Schreiber further commented that Mendoza’s death was ‘entirely preventable’.
The attorney criticized Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ feature as ‘ill-equipped to perform’ and accused the company of hastily releasing the product.
The Mendoza family claims their son was influenced by Musk’s marketing, which prominently featured the self-driving capability.
Schreiber stated: “Giovanni believed his claims were true, and thus believed the ‘Autopilot’ feature with the ‘full self driving’ upgrade was safer than a human driver, and could be trusted to safely navigate public highways autonomously.”
At the time of the crash, the vehicle had been on ‘autopilot’ for 12 minutes, traveling at an average speed of 71 mph.
The car collided with a firetruck at high speed, resulting in Mendoza’s death and causing minor injuries to four firefighters.
Unfortunately, Mendoza’s case is not isolated. Between 2015 and 2022, Tesla customers reported 1000 crashes involving the system, alongside over 1,500 complaints about sudden, unintentional braking.