Tesla with FSD activated crashes into rear of motorcycle, kills rider
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Occurred: April 2024
Page published: September 2025
A Tesla operating in Full Self-Driving (Autopilot) mode collided with and killed a motorcyclist in Snohomish County, Washington, raising concerns about the safety of the driving assistance system.
What happened
What happened
A Tesla crashed into the rear of a motorcycle on State Route 522 in Snohomish County, Washington, killing 28-year-old Jeffrey Nissen.
Washington State Patrol later determined the Tesla was operating with its FSD system activated.
The Tesla driver was later arrested and admitted to being distracted when looking down at his phone while the car was on FSD.
He also admitted to having one drink that day but did not show signs of impairment according to sobriety tests and evaluations.
Why it happened
Why it happened
The crash happened due to driver inattention while relying on FSD, specifically distraction from using a phone and failing to supervise the vehicle’s operation adequately.
Tesla’s FSD does not currently provide full autonomous driving and requires human oversight, yet some drivers misuse the system expecting it to perform independently.
Transparency issues remain around the reporting of crashes involving FSD, with advocates pushing for more regulatory oversight and detailed crash data disclosure to enhance accountability and safety improvements.
What it means
What it means
The incident underscores the critical need for proper use and stringent regulation of Full Self-Driving technology to prevent misuse and accidents.
Society faces ongoing challenges balancing technological advancement with safety standards, transparency and liability frameworks to protect road users and maintain public trust in autonomous vehicle technologies.
The crash fuels debates over the readiness of current semi-autonomous systems for real-world use and pressures regulators to tighten control and reporting requirements for these technologies.
Tesla Autopilot
Tesla Autopilot is an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) developed by Tesla that amounts to partial vehicle automation (Level 2 automation, as defined by SAE International).
Source: Wikipedia 🔗
System 🤖
System 🤖
Developer: Tesla
Country: USA
Sector: Automotive
Purpose: Automate steering, acceleration, braking
Technology: Driver assistance system; Self-driving system; Computer vision
Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Safety
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