Elon Musk And Tesla AI Chief Fire Back At Reports Linking FSD To Fatal Texas Crash As NHTSA Launches Probe

Denial of FSD Responsibility: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and AI lead Ashok Elluswamy denied the claims that the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system was responsible for a fatal crash in Texas that killed 76-year-old Martha Avila Mantilla.
High Speed Crash Justification: Musk argued on X that the FSD system was designed to drive slowly through neighborhood streets, hence the fatal crash at a high speed did not make sense with the system’s intended operation.
Manual Override Evidence: Elluswamy claimed that the driver manually accelerated the vehicle to a speed of 73 mph in a residential area before the crash, indicating the driver’s override of the self-driving system.
Criticism of Reporting: Both Musk and Elluswamy criticized the reporting, calling it “irresponsible,” with Elluswamy expressing concern that such reports might deter users from utilizing potentially safer self-driving technologies.
NHTSA Investigation: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it would investigate the incident, amidst ongoing probe into over 3.2 million Tesla vehicles concerning FSD technology.
Safety Reaffirmation: Elluswamy emphasized that FSD is statistically safer than manual driving when considering over 10 billion miles driven with the technology.

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