Tesla says that 'Autopilot was unrelated' to German bus crash which injured the driver  

  • Earlier this week a Tesla car crashed into tourist bus in Germany
  • Tesla released a statement and says the crash was not caused by Autopilot
  • Instead it says that the bus swerved into the car's lane and side-swiped the Tesla, making a collision 'unavoidable'

By Reuters and Shivali Best For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Earlier this week, a Tesla car crashed into a tourist bus on a motorway in northern Germany with the driver claiming he had activated the car's autopilot system. 

But the firm says that autopilot was not to blame for the crash. 

Instead, it says that the collision was unavoidable because the bus swerved into the vehicle's lane.

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Available for Tesla's Model S electric cars since October 2015, the driverless autopilot system has come under global scrutiny following fatal crashes in northern China in January and in the US state of Florida in May (file photo)

Earlier this week, a Tesla car crashed into a tourist bus on a motorway in northern Germany with the driver claiming he had activated the car's autopilot system (stock image) 

COMMUNICATING CARS 

The US Department of Transportation may propose requiring all new cars to have vehicle-to-vehicle communication, known as V2V, as early as this autumn. 

The federal government estimates that V2V connectivity could ultimately prevent or reduce the severity of about 80 percent of collisions that don't involve a driver impaired by drugs or alcohol. 

The benefits of connected and automated vehicles go well beyond safety.

They hold the potential to significantly reduce fuel use and carbon emissions through more efficient traffic flow.

No more idling at red lights or in rush hour jams for commuters or freight haulers.

Connected self-driving cars also promise to bring safe mobility to those who don't have cars, don't want cars or cannot drive due to age or illness.

Everything from daily living supplies to health care could be delivered to populations without access to transportation.

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The crash happened in the German town of Ratzburg. 

In a statement, Tesla said: 'We have spoken to our customer, who confirmed that Autopilot was functioning properly and that his use of Autopilot was unrelated to the accident.' 

Tesla's Autopilot, introduced last October, helps drivers steer and stay in lanes and is intended to assist, but not replace, drivers. 

It has been the focus of intense scrutiny since it was revealed in July that a Tesla Model S driver was killed while using the technology in a May 7 collision with a truck in Florida.

Since then, there have been various reports of accidents involving Teslas whose drivers were using Autopilot, including a fatality in China, but it is not clear what role, if any, the driving assistance system played. 

There have also been reports of serious accidents prevented because of Autopilot.

Police in Ratzeburg said in a statement that the 50-year-old driver from Brandenburg drove into the back of a Danish tour bus as it was returning to the inside lane after overtaking. 

Police said they planned to investigate 'why (Autopilot) did not work.'

The Tesla driver was slightly injured but none of the 29 bus passengers were hurt, the statement added.  

Tesla denied that Autopilot was at fault, saying the bus swerved into the car's lane and side-swiped the Tesla, making a collision 'unavoidable,' the spokeswoman said.

'We can only do so much to prevent an accident,' she said, adding that Tesla was in contact with German police. 

The Silicon Valley automaker said this month it was updating the semi-autonomous driving system with new limits on hands-off driving and other improvements. 

TESLA'S CRASH THAT LEFT AN EX-NAVY SEAL DEAD 

A former Navy SEAL who has become the first person to die at the wheel of a self-driving car was chillingly filmed demonstrating that the car needed 'no-hands' in a clip he made just months before the fatal crash.

Joshua Brown, 40, died after his computer-guided Tesla Model S plowed into a tractor trailer on a freeway in Williston, Florida, in May.

A witness has claimed he was watching a Harry Potter movie when his Tesla collided with a truck while on autopilot.

Despite the claim, Tesla says it is not possible to play films on the vehicle's touchscreen - however it is possible Brown was using another device. 

In a video clip he made in October, he can be seen driving on the freeway, before waving his hands and saying: 'Oh jeez, it's doing it all by itself.' 

The driver of the truck that Brown crashed into, Frank Baressi, said the Tesla driver was 'playing Harry Potter on the TV screen' at the time of the crash.

 'It was still playing when he died and snapped a telephone pole a quarter mile down the road,' Baressi, 62, said. 

'He went so fast through my trailer I didn't see him,' he added. Baressi says he only heard the movie in the aftermath of the crash - and police did not mention the driver being distracted by a film in any of their reports. 

Tesla said its autopilot system failed to detect the truck because its white color was similar to that of the bright sky, adding that the driver also made no attempt to hit the brakes. 

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