Elon Musk's electric car company, Tesla, has suffered a major setback in an old accident case. A jury in the United States has ordered Tesla to pay approximately $243 million, or about 20 billion rupees, in damages for an accident that occurred in 2019. This compensation will be paid to the family of the woman who died in the accident and to her companion who was seriously injured.
Questions Raised About Autopilot System
Tesla's cars are famous for their autopilot technology, but this technology has often been mired in controversy. In the 2019 accident for which these damages have been imposed, Tesla's autopilot technology was also deemed to be at fault. In this accident, a 22-year-old girl lost her life, and her boyfriend was seriously injured.
Driver Engaged with Cellphone, Autopilot Failed to Take Control
According to reports, the person driving the car was distracted by his mobile phone. As a result, he lost control of the vehicle. Since the Tesla car was in autopilot mode, it was expected that the car would handle the situation itself. But this did not happen. The car went out of control, and the accident occurred.
Company's Responsibility Determined
In this case, the American court jury clearly stated that even though the driver was distracted, since Tesla describes its cars as 'autonomous,' meaning self-driving, the company also bears full responsibility. According to the jury, the same autopilot system that the company claimed was safe failed to prevent the accident.
Elon Musk, who is among the richest people in the world, is currently facing difficulties on several fronts. Some time ago, he formed a new party after a political disagreement with US President Donald Trump. Since then, there has been turmoil in his businesses as well.
Previous Cases of This Nature
Many questions have been raised about Tesla's autopilot technology before. Dozens of such cases have come to light in the United States, where drivers put the car in autopilot mode and then became victims of accidents. However, Tesla has always clarified that autopilot does not mean that the driver should not pay attention.
In this case, Tesla has not directly admitted any fault on its part. The company's lawyers argued that the driver was responsible at the time of the accident because he had taken his attention away from the vehicle. But the jury did not accept this argument and ruled that an autonomous car should have technology capable of handling such situations.
$243 Million in Damages
The jury has ordered a total of $243 million in compensation to be paid to the family of the deceased woman and the injured young man. A large portion of this will be given to the parents of the deceased, while the injured young man will receive compensation for his treatment and mental trauma.
New Debate on Autopilot Technology
This decision has once again sparked a debate about the technology of autonomous vehicles. Is this technology mature enough to compensate for human negligence? Is it enough for companies to just sell the technology, or do they also have to take responsibility for accidents?
Elon Musk's image has been that of a technology innovator, but recent events have affected his credibility. The continuous flaws in Tesla's technology and now such a large fine have become a major challenge for Musk.
After this decision, Tesla will have to make extra efforts to prove the reliability of its technology. At the same time, the company will also have to strengthen itself on the legal fronts, as more such lawsuits may now come forward.
People's Trust Shaken
Tesla's cars are popular in many countries around the world, including India. But such incidents shake people's trust. Especially when a technology is claimed to be completely safe, and then it fails, questions are bound to be raised.
