Incident 52: Tesla on AutoPilot Killed Driver in Crash in Florida while Watching Movie

Description: A Tesla Model S on autopilot crashed into a white articulated tractor-trailer on Highway US 27A in Williston, Florida, killing the driver.

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Alleged: Tesla developed and deployed an AI system, which harmed Joshua Brown.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
52
Report Count
29
Incident Date
2016-07-01
Editors
Sean McGregor

CSETv0 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Full Description

A Tesla Model S on autopilot crashed into an articulated tractor-trailer on Highway US 27A in Williston, Florida killing the driver, Joshua Brown. The trailer was turning left in front of the incoming Tesla, and the Tesla autopilot system was unable to detect the white trailer against the bright sky. Cruise control was set at 74mph and did not slow before collision. The driver had his hands on the wheel for 25 seconds of the 37 minute trip and was watching a Harry Potter movie when the collision occurred. Before the collision, the driver received 6 audible warnings that his hands had been off the wheel for too long.

Short Description

A Tesla Model S on autopilot crashed into a white articulated tractor-trailer on Highway US 27A in Williston, Florida, killing the driver.

Severity

Severe

Harm Type

Harm to physical health/safety

AI System Description

The Tesla Autopilot driving system allows hands-off driving, parking, and navigation using environmental sensors, long range radars, and 360 ultrasonic.

System Developer

Tesla

Sector of Deployment

Transportation and storage

Relevant AI functions

Perception, Cognition, Action

AI Techniques

Tesla Autopilot

AI Applications

autonomous driving

Location

Williston, FL

Named Entities

Tesla, Joshua Brown, Tesla Model S, Tesla Autopilot

Technology Purveyor

Tesla

Beginning Date

2016-05-07T07:00:00.000Z

Ending Date

2016-05-07T07:00:00.000Z

Near Miss

Harm caused

Intent

Accident

Lives Lost

Yes

Data Inputs

360 Ultrasonic Sonar, Image Recognition Camera, Long Range Radar, traffic patterns

CSETv1 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details
Tesla driver killed in driverless car crash
news.com.au · 2016

Tesla Motors released a statement on June 30 after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into a fatal crash involving a Model S being driven by the car’s autopilot. Former Navy SEAL Joshua Brown,…

Tesla driver watched 'Harry Potter' movie as he crashed, witness says
freep.com · 2016

CLOSE A preliminary investigation has begun for a fatal car crash involving a Tesla Model S.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the electric model sedan had Autopilot mode engaged when a driver was killed. USA T…

Tesla Model S driver may have been watching Harry Potter before deadly Autopilot crash
autoblog.com · 2016

Joshua Brown, the 40-year-old man that was killed in a crash while using his Tesla Model S ' Autopilot system, was watching a Harry Potter movie when his car collided with a semi-trailer.That's according to Frank Baressi, the trucker Brown …

Man watching movie dies in Tesla on autopilot
bostonherald.com · 2016

WASHINGTON — A man allegedly watching a Harry Potter movie in a Tesla on “autopilot” was killed when the car slammed into a semi’s trailer on May 7, a witness said, in what the U.S. government says is the first reported death involving a se…

'Harry Potter' Playing in Tesla Autopilot Crash, Says Driver
thewrap.com · 2016

Joshua D. Brown, the first person to die in a Tesla autopilot accident, was watching a “Harry Potter” movie when his vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer, according to the surviving truck driver.

“It was still playing when he died and sn…

Tesla driver killed in crash while using car's 'Autopilot'
apnews.com · 2016

FILE - In this Monday, April 25, 2016, file photo, a man sits behind the steering wheel of a Tesla Model S electric car on display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing. Federal officials say the driver of a Tesla S …

Tesla owner was watching 'Harry Potter' during autopilot crash, says truck driver
aol.com · 2016

Joshua D. Brown, the first person to die in a Tesla autopilot accident, was watching a "Harry Potter" movie when the vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer, according to the surviving truck driver.

"It was still playing when he died and sn…

Former Navy Seal who became first person to die in a self-driving car was 'watching Harry Potter when his Tesla smashed into a truck'
thesun.co.uk · 2016

THE former Navy Seal who became the first person to die in a self-driving car crash was reportedly watching a Harry Potter film when his Tesla vehicle smashed into a truck.

Joshua D. Brown, 40, from Ohio, died on May 7 in Williston Florida …

Man Killed in Tesla Autopilot Crash was Watching Harry Potter
autoguide.com · 2016

AutoGuide.com

The 40-year-old man who was recently killed in a Tesla Autopilot crash was reportedly watching Harry Potter.

Yesterday, Tesla published a blog post on the first driver fatality while its Model S had Autopilot activated, and no…

First person killed in Tesla self-driving car crash 'was watching Harry Potter'
standard.co.uk · 2016

ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You alre…

Tesla owner killed in crash was watching ‘Harry Potter’ while using car's autopilot, survivor says
dallasnews.com · 2016

Tesla noted that drivers must manually enable the Autopilot system: "Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert."

As NHTSA opened an investigation, Tesla founder Elon Musk e…

Tesla crash: Driver who died while on Autopilot mode ‘was watching Harry Potter’
independent.co.uk · 2016

The former US Navy SEAL believed to be the first person to die at the wheel of a self-driving car, had collected eight speeding tickets over the last six years. It was also reported that Joshua Brown may have been watching a Harry Potter mo…

Joshua Brown, Who Died in Self-Driving Accident, Tested Limits of His Tesla
nytimes.com · 2016

CANTON, Ohio — Joshua Brown loved his all-electric Tesla Model S so much he nicknamed it Tessy.

And he celebrated the Autopilot feature that made it possible for him to cruise the highways, making YouTube videos of himself driving hands-fre…

Tesla driver killed while using autopilot was watching Harry Potter, witness says
theguardian.com · 2016

Driver in first known fatal self-driving car crash was also driving so fast that ‘he went so fast through my trailer I didn’t see him’, the truck driver involved said

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years o…

Tesla autopilot crash victim Joshua Brown was watching a movie when he died.
slate.com · 2016

The Model S’s in-dash touchscreen doesn’t play video, but the victim of a fatal crash had a portable DVD player in his car.

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Joshua Brown, 40, believed in the power of engineering. He was a former Navy SEAL, a tec…

Driver in First Tesla Crash Was Watching 'Harry Potter' DVD
inverse.com · 2016

On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation to determine if a defect in Tesla’s autopilot feature that caused the death of 40-year-old Josh Brown in Williston, Florida on May 7.…

Tesla self-driving crash victim was watching Harry Potter during fatal incident
dailymail.co.uk · 2016

Joshua Brown, 40, had DVD player inside Tesla at time of crash, meaning he could have been watching Harry Potter film despite earlier claims by car firm

The first man to die behind the wheel of a self-driving car had a DVD player with him m…

Dead Tesla driver had speeding tickets, Harry Potter playing on DVD before crash, officials say
scmp.com · 2016

A still image from a YouTube video showing Joshua Brown in the driver's seat of his Tesla Model S with no hands on the steering wheel while he demonstrates the car's self-driving mode. Photo: AP

Tesla crash: DVD player found in car wreckage, amid reports driver was watching Harry Potter
abc.net.au · 2016

Tesla crash: DVD player found in car wreckage, amid reports driver was watching Harry Potter

Updated

A DVD player was found in the Tesla car that was on autopilot when its driver was killed in a collision with a truck in May, Florida Highwa…

Tesla Driver May Have Been Watching Harry Potter Before Fatal Crash
vanityfair.com · 2016

The Tesla driver killed in a May 7 collision with a truck might have been watching a Harry Potter movie at the time of the crash while the car was in autopilot mode, according to one witness. Joshua D. Brown was killed when the Tesla Model …

Killed Tesla driver may have been watching Harry Potter
digitalspy.com · 2016

The man killed in the first known fatal crash of a self-driving car may have been watching one of the Harry Potter films when the collision happened.

According to the driver of the truck Joshua Brown's car crashed into, the man was "playing…

Man killed in Tesla auto-drive crash may have been watching Harry Potter
smh.com.au · 2016

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper on the scene said that a Harry Potter movie was showing on the DVD player. Another witness, Terence Mulligan, said he arrived at the scene before the first Florida state trooper and found "there was no movie…

Man Who Died in Self-Driving Tesla Crash Was Watching 'Harry Potter' Film During Wreck: Witness
insideedition.com · 2016

The Tesla owner who was killed while inside his self-driving car was watching a Harry Potter movie at the time, according to a witness.

Robert VanKavelaar told Inside Edition that Joshua Brown's wrecked car ended up in his yard outside Gain…

Laptop and DVD player found in fatal Tesla Autopilot crash were not running when discovered, police say
electrek.co · 2016

There’s a new small detail but important development in the investigation of the fatal Tesla Model S crash while the Autopilot system was activated. We now learn that the Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that both a laptop and DVD player we…

Tesla driver in fatal crash wasn't watching video, witness tells investigators
autonews.com · 2017

A witness who was one of the first people to approach the crash site following a fatal Tesla accident in Florida last year told federal investigators he did not see or hear a video playing in the car in the moments after it came to a stop.

Tesla death smash probe: Neither driver nor autopilot saw the truck
theregister.co.uk · 2017

American crash investigators have thrown open their files on a fatal motorway collision between a Tesla Model S and a truck, confirming Tesla’s earlier statement that its autopilot failed to notice the truck blocking the car’s path.

The acc…

A new report on what happened in the fatal Tesla Autopilot crash.
slate.com · 2017

The top third of a Tesla Model S was sheared off in a fatal collision with a tractor-trailer truck in Florida last year. Robert VanKavelaar/Handout via Reuters

In May 2016, the inevitable happened: A Tesla driver was killed in a crash while…

Driver Of Self-Driving Tesla Was Watching Harry Potter At Moment Of Death
zerohedge.com · 2019

In what turned out to be a case of morbid irony, last night we reported that Josh Brown, the 40 year old (non) driver of the Tesla which fatally crashed into a truck on May 7 in Florida while in self-driving mode when the car's cameras fail…

Tesla didn’t fix an Autopilot problem for three years, and now another person is dead
theverge.com · 2019

On May 7th, 2016, a 40-year-old man named Joshua Brown was killed when his Tesla Model S sedan collided with a tractor-trailer that was crossing his path on US Highway 27A, near Williston, Florida. Nearly three years later, another Tesla ow…

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.

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