Tesla on Autopilot kills pedestrian waiting on Brooklyn sidewalk

A 76-year-old Brooklyn pedestrian was killed when a Tesla, reportedly on Autopilot and driven by a teenager, mounted the sidewalk at high speed and struck the victim. What happened A 17-year-old driving a Tesla lost control of the Tesla at 9 pm in Brooklyn, New York City. The car jumped the curb and hit pedestrian Milorad Rajacic waiting on the sidewalk to cross the road. Rajacic's legs were torn off and he died at Maimonides Medical Center . A 24-year-old man was also hit and suffered minor injuries, and a traffic light was damaged. While reports specify the vehicle was a Tesla and suggest Autopilot may have been active, the driver's excessive speed appears to have played a direct role. Why it happened Early findings suggest the crash resulted from a combination of driver inexperience, high speed, and over-reliance on the vehicle’s driver-assist features, with Autopilot thought liked to have been engaged. The driver was charged as a juvenile with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. What it means The incident underlines the societal cost of premature reliance on imperfect autonomous technologies, highlighting the urgent need for clearer communication about system limitations, stronger regulations, and improved accountability from manufacturers and drivers alike. System 🤖 Tesla Autopilot Developer: Tesla Country: USA Sector: Automot i ve Purpose: Automate steering, acceleration, braking Technology: Driver assistance system; Computer vision ; Machine learning Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Safety

Date it happened

2023-07-01

Organisation involved

Tesla driver

Product, system or model

Autopilot

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