A deadly accident in Washington earlier this year resulted in the death of a motorcyclist, caused by a Tesla vehicle in “Full Self Driving” mode as reported by The Associated Press. Investigators confirmed that a 2022 Tesla Model S was in self-driving mode during the fatal accident on State Route 522, 15 miles northeast of Seattle. The driver, who was looking at his phone at the time of the crash, collided with the motorcycle, tragically killing Jeffrey Nissen, 28. Following this incident, concerns about Tesla’s autonomous driving features prompted Senators Markey and Blumenthal to urge the FTC to investigate Tesla’s marketing practices. This accident occurred just before the NHTSA linked 14 deaths to Tesla vehicles in Autopilot mode, criticizing the company’s weak driver engagement system. Elon Musk’s promises of autonomous vehicles have yet to be fully realized, with delays in the unveiling of Tesla’s robotaxi initiative. The Wall Street Journal conducted an investigation revealing over 1,000 Tesla crashes reported to the NHTSA since 2016, including 44 in Autopilot mode.
