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華爾街日報Exclusive - Personal Injury Attorney John C Carpenter Says Tesla FSD Prone To 'Mistakes,' Slams Ted Cruz's Safety Challenge
Amid Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) challenge on automotive safety measures, as well as the advent of autonomous vehicles from Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Waymo, attorney John Carpenter, Co-Founder of Carpenter & Zuckerman, who practices personal injury law recently spoke to Benzinga about his views on the matter.
Pulling Back On Safety Is The ‘Wrong Direction'
Speaking on the decision by the Cruz-led Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to hold a hearing on vehicle safety features like Autonomous Emergency Braking and rear seat occupant alerts, Carpenter said that pushing back on "proven safety features is the wrong direction," adding that the features prevent tragedies.
Carpenter also shared that the decisions could hurt the perception of autonomous driving technology like Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD), because "public confidence in this technology is still fragile." He added that people can lose trust or trust too much in technologies when the debate is "framed politically."
Tesla And Waymo Robotaxis Can Increase Accessibility
Robotaxis, when deployed safely, can help increase accessibility for people with disabilities, senior citizens, and "anyone who needs reliable transportation without relying on family or public transit," Carpenter said. He also shared that it could fill the last-mile gap. "Most streets aren't walkable, and robotaxis could extend the reach of public transit," he said.
However, he added that the data and incident reporting are still limited, both from Waymo and Tesla, which operate brand-new vehicles on "cherry-picked roads," which isn't an accurate representation of real-world scenarios. "To move forward safely, companies need to be fully transparent about incidents," Carpenter said, stressing the need for "fast, complete reporting" about accidents involving AVs.
Speaking on Tesla's FSD system, Carpenter shared that the system was prone to mistakes, which "can be severe." Carpenter also added that when in an AV, drivers expect the system to "see the same hazards," but if it doesn't, then "you are reacting to the car's failure to react," which can be dangerous and "catastrophic." Carpenter also believed that autonomy could save lives.
Robotaxi and Legal Requirements
On the legal aspects surrounding autonomous vehicles and Robotaxis, Carpenter shared that states like California, with a stronger set of rules and reporting requirements, "make accountability easier by forcing disclosure" and establishing a "legal paper trail."
States like Texas, on the other hand, have relatively relaxed rules, but "make it clear that when there's no human behind the wheel, the company is legally responsible for the vehicle's actions." He also reiterated the need for transparency, sharing that data should be accessible to the public in the event of a crash.
Accessing Crash Data Is Key
Carpenter also shared an insight into the legal challenges faced by Robotaxi operators when expanding into new states. "The legal landscape is a patchwork, and scaling across it can be complicated," he said, highlighting the varying regulations across states in the U.S.
However, the challenge also lies in access to crash data, which is difficult to obtain, especially from companies like Tesla. He shared that data becomes crucial because there is no human driver to question, in which case, the data becomes the "witness."
"If they want the upside of a profitable robotaxi business, they have to accept the full legal responsibility of all that comes with it," Carpenter said, adding that AV companies need to not be able to hide data should they want the public's trust.
Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
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