by Stephen Rivers
- Florida authorities say a Tesla on Autopilot was involved in a deadly Wesley Chapel-area crash.
- One elderly occupant survived the crash and plunge into a pond with non-life-threatening injuries.
- Investigators still haven’t publicly answered key questions surrounding the Autopilot claim.
Tesla’s Autopilot autonomous driving tech is back in the spotlight again after a fatal accident in Florida. Authorities there say that the driver, an 87-year-old man, hit an electrical box and then went into a pond. A 75-year-old female occupant survived with non-life-threatening injuries. It’s beyond those details where the questions begin.
According to Fox 13, the Florida Highway Patrol says the driver left the roadway around 8:10 p.m. on Tuesday night. He was driving on Overpass Road just east of Infinite Drive. The speed limit there is just 30 mph (48 km/h), and the road is mostly straight with a very gentle left-hand sweep to it. The driver was allegedly using Autopilot when he went off of the road.
More: Tesla’s Autopilot Under Fire Again After Motorcyclist Killed In Fatal Crash
Police say he hit an electrical box before his Model Y crossover ended up in the adjacent pond. Emergency workers took the driver to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. That said, authorities didn’t release any information about who the victims are and what circumstances led to the bizarre crash. They also didn’t indicate why they believe Autopilot was engaged at the time of the wreck.
That last detail matters because we’ve documented plenty of similar claims in the past, and not all have held up to scrutiny. Of course, there’s also no question that modern-day driver aids can and do lull some drivers into a false sense of confidence. Even at 30 mph, a driver aid that inexplicably shuts itself off or makes an odd move could leave a driver with very little time to react.
Carscoops has reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol for comment on this situation and more details about the Autopilot allegation. We’ll update this piece if we hear back with additional information.
