Friends remember man dead in driverless crash

The Tesla driver killed in the first known fatal crash involving a self-driving auto may have been watching a Harry Potter movie at the time of the collision in Florida, according to a truck driver involved in the crash.

The Ohio man who died while using the Autopilot feature on his Tesla electric vehicle posted video of the same feature helping him avoid another accident a month before his death.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday it is investigating 25,000 Model S sedans that are equipped with the Autopilot system, after the death of 40-year-old Joshua Brown in Williston, Florida.

Preliminary reports indicated the crash occurred when Baressi’s rig turned left in front of Brown’s Tesla at an intersection of a divided highway southwest of Gainesville, Florida, where there was no traffic light, NHTSA said. Brown’s vehicle didn’t see an oncoming tractor-trailer because it was white against a brightly lit sky.

In another video, posted by the account DragTimes in October, a driver who filmed himself using Tesla’s Autopilot feature reads a speeding ticket as the vehicle continues on, explaining that he had been pulled over because the Autopiloted auto was going 75 miles per hour (120 kph) in a 60 mph (95 kph) zone.

In a statement posted on its website, Tesla confirmed the man was using the semi-autonomous Autopilot feature when he was behind the wheel. Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not ideal and still requires the driver to remain alert. It can automatically apply brakes and slow the vehicle. Now that the story has made global news, we’re hopeful that Tesla owners will think twice before they hop into the back seat to take a nap with Autopilot engaged. In theory, automated vehicles will eliminate the human errors that are responsible for an estimated 94 percent of traffic fatalities.

Autonomous driving experts caution that the nature of Tesla’s system made it prone to a crash such the one that killed Brown. The Model S passed under the trailer smashing its windshield and the driver died due to injuries sustained in the crash. In November, for instance, Toyota had to recall 31,000 full-sized Lexus and Toyota cars because the automatic braking system radar mistook steel joints or plates in the road for an object ahead and put on the brakes.

In a blog post Thursday, Tesla said that the system is in public beta, meaning that it isn’t a finished product.

In a statement released Friday, Brown’s family noted his “passion for technological advancement” and said they are cooperating with the investigation. BMW said the goal of the new collaboration was to develop cars that would eventually allow them to take their eyes off the road. Tesla Motors Inc’s shares, however, were down less than 1% on Friday in early trading.

Tesla said the system is still in development, and that drivers are told to always keep hold of the wheel.

“There is nothing unique about software that it can’t be tested”, Claybook said.