Tesla wins bellwether Calif. trial over Autopilot car crash

[EVNow]

Didn't see this posted ...

California jury finds that Tesla's Autopilot did not fail in what appeared to be the first trial related to a crash involving partially automated driving software.​

​

LOS ANGELES — A California state court jury on Friday handed Tesla Inc. a sweeping win, finding the electric vehicle maker's Autopilot feature did not fail in what appeared to be the first trial related to a crash involving the partially automated driving software.​

....​

Los Angeles resident Justine Hsu sued in 2020, saying her Tesla Model S swerved into a curb while on Autopilot, and an airbag was deployed "so violently it fractured Plaintiff's jaw, knocked out teeth, and caused nerve damage to her face.”​

​

She alleged defects in the design of Autopilot and the airbag, and sought more than $3 million in damages.​

​

Tesla denied liability for the accident and said in a court filing that Hsu used Autopilot on city streets, despite a user manual warning against doing so.​

​

In Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, the jury awarded Hsu zero damages. It also found that the airbag did not fail to perform safely, and that Tesla did not intentionally fail to disclose facts.​

After the verdict, jurors told Reuters that Tesla clearly warned that the partially automated driving software was not a self-piloted system, and that driver distraction was to blame.​

 

[Dewg]

AP/FSD related crashes

I don't recall this crash was discussed in this thread, but posting here anyways. https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/tesla-autopilot-not-active-during-fatal-newport-beach-crash-in-2022/ Media were quick to name Tesla’s driver-assist features as a possible cause after the NHTSA included the...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[EVNow]

AP/FSD related crashes

I don't recall this crash was discussed in this thread, but posting here anyways. https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/tesla-autopilot-not-active-during-fatal-newport-beach-crash-in-2022/ Media were quick to name Tesla’s driver-assist features as a possible cause after the NHTSA included the...

teslamotorsclub.com

But this is about a lawsuit.

I’m trying to find more info. Definitely sounds very interesting in terms of Tesla’s legal defense.

 

[DrChaos]

Justine Hsu v. Tesla: Jury Finds Tesla Not to Blame For Crash

In a case titled Justine Hsu v. Tesla, the owner of a 2016 Tesla Model S claims Autopilot caused a crash, her injuries and three surgeries.

www.carcomplaints.com

has a more detailed description than most news articles. Some points:

• 2016 Model S, crash was 2019.
• Regular AP used
• "The plaintiff says she had both hands on the Model S steering wheel before and after she engaged Autopilot, but about 20 seconds after engaging the feature and while traveling about 25 miles per hour, Autopilot allegedly failed to "see" the center median."
• "The plaintiff says because she is petite and 5 feet 2 inches tall, she would typically sit close to the steering wheel and drive with bent elbows so she could see over the steering wheel and reach the foot pedals." She was complaining about injuries from the airbag.

I'm not convinced that she didn't just plain drive herself into the curb.

 

[mjwojtukiewicz]

Chinese EV giant BYD says self-driving tech is more valuable for factories than cars

Fully autonomous driving is "basically impossible" and the tech would be better applied to manufacturing, said Chinese battery and electric car company BYD.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Dewg]

Chinese EV giant BYD says self-driving tech is more valuable for factories than cars

Fully autonomous driving is "basically impossible" and the tech would be better applied to manufacturing, said Chinese battery and electric car company BYD.

www.cnbc.com

So he just gives up when the math gets hard?

It's super easy, barely an inconvenience. Waymo has most if it at the car level. We just need some infrastructure changes (simple magnetic data strips in the center of lanes) and an industry accepted NFC protocol for cars to talk to each other and coordinate maneuvers (give me space as I need to change lanes and exit the freeway).

It'll take some time and effort, but very doable.

 

[mjwojtukiewicz]

So he just gives up when the math gets hard?

It's super easy, barely an inconvenience. Waymo has most if it at the car level. We just need some infrastructure changes (simple magnetic data strips in the center of lanes) and an industry accepted NFC protocol for cars to talk to each other and coordinate maneuvers (give me space as I need to change lanes and exit the freeway).

It'll take some time and effort, but very doable.

Watch Scotty Kilmer video on youtube where he discusses Tesla and autonomy. IF all cars were electric self driving and communicated via 5g THEN you have a case. But since there are still many drivers without this capability it's tough to navigate safely. And who is gonna put all these magnetic strips on the highways?
You have people pissing and moaning about range, not enough charging stations, the grid couldn't handle the load if all electric. Biden is trying to ramp up charging stations, Bill Gates says the electric grid needs to be updated and the Rs in the House basically want to cancel all the IRA and climate stuff. And despite what EM says Tesla is NOT the safest car out there. For instance there is no auto breaking to keep me from running someone over either in the front or back. There is no rear cross traffic awareness (and don't tell me to back in; that's a copout). Just saw a car commercial where a kid can't exit the car because a car is approaching. Guess what car doesn't have this? Tesla. I'm not saying I hate my car, but the other players (ICE and EV) are putting features in that EM doesn't think are necessary.

 

[nvx1977]

wow that went off-topic fast.

 

[mjwojtukiewicz]

wow that went off-topic fast.

My point was...........EM is never gonna get the car to drive autonomously. Leaving aside the politics, China has maglev trains, we have decrepit railroads, they are going electric faster than the US, Pople keep asking me the same stupid question. How is the electricity made to which I reply follow the energy chain getting oil to your gas station. They aren't saints but I think BYD has figured out autonomous driving is a money pit and better suited to having robots making the cars

 

[nvx1977]

 

[nvx1977]

I'm not saying our justice/jury system is perfect - we are only human - but from my own personal experiences of serving on a jury, along with the experiences from my close friends and family, we all agree that the jury really tries hard to get things right. When I think about the class of lawsuits where owner blames autopilot on Tesla, I just can't see how any jury would need more than an hour or two to feel very confident that the verdict is driver inattentiveness. It's similar to a crash where the person who rear-ended the leading car comes up with 69 creative ideas for how it was the lead driver's fault. The vast majority of cases, the rear-ender followed at an unsafe distance to account for any of those 69 situations that could have occurred with the lead car.

I hope as more lawsuits of this kind pop up, the same verdict applies. Driver inattentiveness. There's no shortage of warnings and disclaimers about the L2 nature of the car before you can turn any of it on. People need to own up to their own incompetence instead of trying to buy a lawsuit lottery ticket hoping for a jackpot.