The front of the Tesla Model is involved in the mortal crash of 2019, with the activated autopilot. © Singleton Schreiber
Last Friday, a federal jury of Florida acknowledged that the Autopilot, the Tesla driving assistance system, presented a defect having contributed to a fatal accident. The decision condemns the manufacturer to pay around $ 243 million to the victims and their families. Tesla, who lodges the driver’s fault, announced that she would appeal.
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Tesla convicted 33 % in a mortal crash linked to the autopilot
In April 2019, a model circulating in Florida violently struck another car. Naibel Benavids Leon dies instantly, his companion Dillon Angulo is seriously injured. At the center of the trial: the autopilot, this assisted driving system that Tesla presents as capable of managing many aspects of conduct, but which in reality requires constant vigilance of humans while driving.
After several days of hearing in Miami, the federal jury estimated that Tesla carried 33 % of the responsibility in the drama, judging that the manufacturer had exaggerated the capacities of its system and minimized the risks. Verdict: approximately $ 243 million in compensation, including more than 200 million punitive damage, divided between the various parties called into question. For Tesla, this represents nearly $ 43 million to pay.
Tesla designed the autopilot for secure highways but deliberately chose not to prohibit its use elsewhere […] Today’s verdict represents justice for the tragic death of Naibel and Dillon’s life wounds.
A precedent that weakens Musk’s strategy
Until now, autopilot affairs have often ended outside the courts or turned to the advantage of Tesla. This time, the federal verdict changes the situation: it establishes black on white that a manufacturer can be held legally responsible for an accident involving an assisted driving system.
This setback comes while Elon Musk multiplies the announcements on his ambitions in Robotaxi and on the transition to even more automated systems. Reuters emphasizes that this decision could fuel the arguments of American regulators, already very attentive to commercial communication around the autopilot.
A Tesla in autopilot. © Tesla
The timing (of this verdict) for Tesla, in view of the deployments of the FSD and the Robotaxis, is catastrophic. There is now, in substance, an opinion that an aspect of Tesla’s activity is not sure, and maybe the security that the company highlights is not what it claims.
An impact beyond the United States?
If the judgment has no direct effect on European law, it could influence public perception and regulatory discussions around assisted and autonomous conduct.
In Europe, Tesla remains legally protected by the principle that the driver is responsible … as long as the system does not exceed level 2 of autonomy. But media and political pressure could push for certain rules, while Elon Musk still refuses to reveal the actual number of accidents caused by the autopilot – a silence that raises questions about the transparency of the company’s security data.
If this verdict does not legally block the controversial expansion of the Robotaxis, it could influence regulators and fuel customers’ distrust.
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