Tesla's Autopilot Driving Mode Is A Legal Nightmare

"The problem may be that the term autopilot may be just enough to lull drivers into the false sense that the car doesn’t need any user input, and can just simply drive itself. Ryan Calo, assistant professor of law at the University of Washington, said if drivers are deemed to be aware of the risk, it may let Tesla off the hook. “Because we’re talking about physical safety,” Calo said, “courts and regulators will likely hold Tesla to a higher standard.”

Tesla’s cars, however, collect and store more more data than your standard car which may help them paint a picture of exactly how certain crashes happened. “This [May 7 fatal] crash is unique in that there will be a lot more digital data, most of which Tesla hasn’t released that could provide further clarity,” Bryant Walker Smith, an assistant professor of law at South Carolina University, told Gizmodo. “But even before we get to Tesla, it’s important to acknowledge that the truck driver in this crash may be at least partly at fault.”"