How to get away with murder, Tesla edition: Driver who killed 2 while using Autopilot, let off with a fine

In a rather bizarre legal development in the US, a Tesla driver involved in a fatal car crash in 2019 in a Los Angeles suburb that killed two people, has been ordered to pay over $23,000 in restitution for causing the deaths and was not sentenced to any jail time, whatsoever, as per a report by the Associated Press.

The court decision was announced on the same day that Tesla recalled nearly all vehicles sold in the US

The court hearing, held on Wednesday, marked a significant moment as prosecutors in the US brought felony charges against a motorist using a partially automated driving system for the first time.

This case was part of a series of deadly crashes investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, contributing to Tesla’s recent recall affecting over 2 million vehicles.

The recall aims to address software issues and fix a defective system designed to ensure drivers remain attentive when using Autopilot, Tesla’s partially automated driving system.

The decision to recall followed a two-year federal investigation into crashes involving the Autopilot system.

The Tesla driver involved in the Los Angeles case, Kevin Aziz Riad, entered a plea of no contest to two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Despite facing a potential sentence of over seven years, a judge sentenced him to probation in June.

The fatal incident occurred on December 29, 2019, when Aziz Riad, a limousine service driver, was operating a Tesla Model S at 74 mph using Autopilot.

The vehicle left a freeway, ran a red light on a local street in Gardena, California, and collided with a Honda Civic at an intersection. The occupants of the Civic, Gilberto Alcazar Lopez and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez, lost their lives at the scene.

Their families have filed separate civil lawsuits against Aziz Riad and Tesla, which are ongoing.

Donald Slavik, representing Alcazar Lopez’s family, expressed appreciation for any restitution but noted that it is a small amount compared to the damages suffered.

The family’s civil lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial next year. Slavik also mentioned that the recently announced recall, if limiting Autopilot use to controlled access highways, could have potentially prevented the tragic incident.

(With inputs from agencies)