Tesla says Autopilot was on during deadly California crash

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- There was a major announcement from Tesla Friday evening about last week's crash in Mountain View, California, that killed an engineer from Apple. The company confirms the autopilot "was" engaged when the Model X slammed into a collapsed safety barrier.

Thirty-eight-year-old Apple engineer and father of two, Walter Huang, died one week ago on his way to work when his Tesla Model X slammed into a crash cushion that had collapsed in an accident eleven days before -- basically like hitting a brick wall, the experts say.

Tesla released a statement on the event saying "Autopilot was engaged with the adaptive cruise control follow-distance set to minimum," and that Huang's "hands were not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to the collision." Tesla also added that "the driver had about five seconds and 150 meters of unobstructed view of the concrete divider with the crushed crash attenuator, but the vehicle logs show no action was taken."

I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: Autopilot part of Tesla crash investigation, I-Team rides in Model X to site

Friday morning, a science director at an environmental startup took the ABC7 News I-Team's Dan Noyes in his Model X on the same route Huang drove last week to Apple. He was heading to the 85 carpool lane off 101 in Mountain View. "I see what the issue is," said Sean Price. "That line in the pavement could potentially be a problem," he said, pointing out a break between the asphalt and concrete and two white lines.

The Autopilot guided Huang's SUV right into the barrier.

"I mean, you have to think like a computer, right? A computer doesn't know. It has no logic, so if it sees a line, it might think that's a lane," Price added.

Tesla emphasized this crash was so severe because the safety barrier "had been crushed in a prior accident." Google Maps showed the barrier in a more upright position. It was in a collapsed condition the day before Walter Huang hit it.

I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: I-Team investigates why Caltrans didn't fix safety barrier before Tesla driver died there

That happened, as Dan Noyes reported this week, because an alleged drunk driver in a Prius hit the smart cushion at 70 miles an hour -- he walked away with minor injuries.

Attorney and consultant from SafeSelfDrive.org, Jim McPherson, tells ABC7 News Tesla bears the responsibility for the failings of its Autopilot and automation poses a new challenge for Caltrans.

"We can imagine a day where all of our cars are in automated mode going down the road and they fail at the same place on the freeway," McPherson said. "That raises the question -- at what point is CalTrans responsible to fix the road to accommodate automation."

As the I-Team learned Friday, the Tesla Model X requires you to keep contact with the wheel to make sure you are aware and prepared to override the Autopilot. Dan Noyes reached Huang's family, they say they have no comment on the release and they are in the process of hiring an attorney. They are also planning services for Huang.

Tesla also said in its hardware you are 3.7 times less likely to be involved in a fatal accident.

There will be much more debate ahead.

I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: Victim who died in Tesla crash had complained about Autopilot

"Since posting our first update, we have been working as quickly as possible to establish the facts of last week's accident. Our hearts are with the family and friends who have been affected by this tragedy.

The safety of our customers is our top priority, which is why we are working closely with investigators to understand what happened, and what we can do to prevent this from happening in the future. After the logs from the computer inside the vehicle were recovered, we have more information about what may have happened.

In the moments before the collision, which occurred at 9:27 a.m. on Friday, March 23rd, Autopilot was engaged with the adaptive cruise control follow-distance set to minimum. The driver had received several visual and one audible hands-on warning earlier in the drive and the driver's hands were not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to the collision. The driver had about five seconds and 150 meters of unobstructed view of the concrete divider with the crushed crash attenuator, but the vehicle logs show that no action was taken.

The reason this crash was so severe is because the crash attenuator, a highway safety barrier which is designed to reduce the impact into a concrete lane divider, had been crushed in a prior accident without being replaced. We have never seen this level of damage to a Model X in any other crash.

Over a year ago, our first iteration of Autopilot was found by the U.S. government to reduce crash rates by as much as 40%. Internal data confirms that recent updates to Autopilot have improved system reliability.

In the US, there is one automotive fatality every 86 million miles across all vehicles from all manufacturers. For Tesla, there is one fatality, including known pedestrian fatalities, every 320 million miles in vehicles equipped with Autopilot hardware. If you are driving a Tesla equipped with Autopilot hardware, you are 3.7 times less likely to be involved in a fatal accident.

Tesla Autopilot does not prevent all accidents - such a standard would be impossible - but it makes them much less likely to occur. It unequivocally makes the world safer for the vehicle occupants, pedestrians and cyclists.

No one knows about the accidents that didn't happen, only the ones that did. The consequences of the public not using Autopilot, because of an inaccurate belief that it is less safe, would be extremely severe. There are about 1.25 million automotive deaths worldwide. If the current safety level of a Tesla vehicle were to be applied, it would mean about 900,000 lives saved per year. We expect the safety level of autonomous cars to be 10 times safer than non-autonomous cars.
In the past, when we have brought up statistical safety points, we have been criticized for doing so, implying that we lack empathy for the tragedy that just occurred. Nothing could be further from the truth. We care deeply for and feel indebted to those who chose to put their trust in us. However, we must also care about people now and in the future whose lives may be saved if they know that Autopilot improves safety. None of this changes how devastating an event like this is or how much we feel for our customer's family and friends. We are incredibly sorry for their loss."