On August 7, Mark Molthan crashed his Model S on Highway 175 in Kaufman, Texas after failing to navigate a bend when Autopilot was enabled and, in doing so, might have steered autonomous driving tech in totally murky waters.
While Molthan admitted in an interview with Automotive News that he wasn’t paying full attention at the time of the crash, he says Autopilot lulls you into a false sense of security.
“I used Autopilot all the time on that stretch of the highway. But now I feel like this is extremely dangerous. It gives you a false sense of security. I’m not ready to be a test pilot. It missed the curve and drove straight into the guardrail. The car didn’t stop — it actually continued to accelerate after the first impact into the guardrail.
At the time, hi insurance company did ncrashed due to the car’s Autopilot system.
The owner says he has no intention of suing Tesla for the crash but Cozen O’Conner, the law firm representing his insurance company, has sent a notice letter to the automaker that it wants to inspect the damaged vehicle. If the insurance company is to file a case against Tesla, it will be the first of its kind and could open the floodgates to similar lawsuits.
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