Truck Safety Experts Focus on Tesla “Auto Pilot” Following Fatal Florida Crash

Tractor trailer driver came to a complete stop before entering the roadway

The South Florida Tesla crash that left one man dead Friday is leading noted Truck Accident Attorneys Joe Fried and Michael Leizerman to assert that autopilot doesn’t mean a driver can drive without paying attention.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the National Transportation Safety Board both say they are investigating whether the autopilot was engaged on the Tesla that drove under a tractor trailer entering a major roadway early Friday morning. The Tesla’s roof was sheared off. The driver was found dead in his Tesla which continued driving for near half a mile past the scene of impact.

“We are at a stage of development still where safety technology is best relied upon as a supplement to attentive driving as opposed to a replacement for attentive driving,” said Truck Accident attorney Joe Fried. “Someday soon that may change but we are not there yet.”

“There is no doubt that safety technology saves lives,” concurs Truck Accident attorney Michael Leizerman. “And there is no doubt that the current state of technology still requires full driver attention to the roadway and surrounding conditions. There is no true autopilot available on Tesla or any vehicle in production today.”

Police say the tractor trailer driver came to a complete stop before entering the roadway. No charges have been filed. The investigation is ongoing.

Both Michael Leizerman and Joe Fried are among the nation’s first attorneys to achieve Board Certification in Truck Accident law. Both are available to speak with reporters concerning this fatal crash, the role of autopilot in truck crashes nationwide, and United Statestransportation law.

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