May 7, 2016 – First autopilot death
Wrecked Tesla of Joshua Brown, resulting in the first autopilot death. (Robert VanKavelaar)
According to reports, a Tesla Model S slammed into a truck near Williston, FL while its autopilot function was engaged on this day in 2016. The impact resulted in the death of Joshua Brown, who became the first "driver" to die while using hands-free driving technology in the modern age. Tesla declined any comment on the accident, aside from stating that the Tesla Autopilot system “does not allow the driver to abdicate responsibility.”
A NTSB report that utilized data from Tesla's proprietary collection system found that Brown allegedly had his hands on the wheel for less than one minute during the 37 minutes leading up to the wreck. According to the data, he allegedly also set the cruise cont...
