The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is launching an investigation into an accident involving a Tesla that authorities say did not work with anyone behind the wheel, which killed two people outside Houston on Saturday evening. The 2019 Tesla Model S hit the road after failing to negotiate a slight bend, local CBS-approved affiliate KHUU-TV reported. Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman told local reporters the crash was unprecedented.
“Our office has never seen a crash scene like this before,” he said. “Normally, firefighters come to control a fire in one of their cars within minutes of the arrival of firefighters, but it continued for about four hours.” The electric car batteries had a long burning time due to repeated reigns. More than 30,000 gallons of water used to start the fire. One of the victims was in the front passenger seat and the other in the back seat, “and there was no one in [the driver’s] seat at the time of the accident,” Herman said.
The day before the crash, Tesla CEO Elon Musk retweeted that the company had released its first quarterly safety report for 2021. “The Autopilot Tesla now has ten times less chance of an accident than the average vehicle,” he said. Tesla described its autopilot as a “suite of driver assistance features” and said it required “active driver supervision”.
The day before the crash, Tesla CEO Elon Musk retweeted that the company had released its first quarterly safety report for 2021. “The Autopilot Tesla now has ten times less chance of an accident than the average vehicle,” he said. Tesla described its autopilot as a “suite of driver assistance features” and said it required “active driver supervision”. “The NHTSA is aware of the tragic accident involving a Tesla vehicle outside Houston, Texas,” a representative told TechCrunch. “The NHTSA immediately launched a special crash investigation team to investigate the crash. We actively working with local law enforcement and Tesla to learn more about the details of the crash and will take appropriate action when we have more information.”
