ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration is set to investigate a deadly crash involving a Tesla in North Central Florida.
Reports show the agency has opened a total of 30 investigations into Tesla crashes since 2016.
Now, an Orlando attorney is stepping in to represent the family of the loved ones lost in the most recent case.
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“With any technology and any innovation, there also has to be a priority of safety over the innovation of the advancement of technology,” said attorney Matt Morgan.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a couple died when their Tesla crashed into a parked tractor-trailer at an Interstate 75 rest stop near Gainesville.
The family shared on its Go-Fund-Me page that Karl and Mary Lou had been on a cross-country road trip from California and had just visited their granddaughter for her first birthday.
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Trooper told Channel 9 that at this point they don’t know if the crash was caused by the vehicle being on autopilot, driver error, or possibly a medical issue.
The NHTSA will be launching a special investigation into it.
“We have been concerned about these systems in Tesla at consumer reports for years,” said David Friedman of Consumer Reports.
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Last month the NHTSA released new data on driver assistance systems in cars.
It comes one year after it started requiring automakers to report crash data related to those automated systems.
Data shows from July 2021 to May 15, 2022, there were 367 crashes involving vehicles with driver-assist systems.
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Tesla reported the most at 273 incidents. Honda was second with 90 and Subaru with 10.
Most of the crashes were minor, but six were deadly and five serious injuries were reported during that time.
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“When you’re driving, you’re driving. There is no car out on the road, no Tesla, no automaker’s car that drives itself,” Friedman added.
Lawmakers are calling on the NHTSA to impose additional safety measures to prevent more deadly crashes.
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