--- title: "A Tesla Driver Was Eating, Drinking During Autopilot Crash" description: "The National Transportation Safety Board found that a Tesla driver who crashed into a fire truck was eating and drinking with Autopilot on before the crash." date: "2019-09-04" modified: "2019-09-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-driver-eating-drinking-autopilot-crash" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "autopilot" - "self driving car" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # A Tesla Driver Was Eating, Drinking During Autopilot Crash ![The National Transportation Safety Board found that a Tesla driver who crashed into a fire truck was eating and drinking with Autopilot on before the crash.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* ## Eyes on the Road The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found that a driver who crashed his Tesla Model S into a Culver City Fire Department fire truck in January 2018 was eating and drinking coffee behind the wheel, immediately before the crash. And yes, Autopilot was turned on during the crash — yet another sign that Tesla drivers often [misinterpret]() what the "self-driving" feature can or cannot take care of for you during your morning commute. ## Driver Assist The investigation concluded over a year and half after the crash occurred. "When the crash occurred, the fire truck was unoccupied, and the driver of the sedan did not report any injuries," reads the NTSB's report. "Statements from the driver and data downloaded from the Tesla after the crash indicate that the driver was utilizing driver assist technology when the crash occurred." ## Blaming Autopilot According to data received by the NTSB, the driver "had his hands off the wheel \[for\] 12 minutes, 57 seconds" leading up to the crash. That means the driver got four different "place hands on the wheel" alerts. But whether or not the driver had his hands off the wheel — as the report claims — is unclear, as [*Electrek* points out](). Tesla isn't able to detect if hands touch the wheel or not. It can only detect whether torque is applied. Tesla's own investigation concluded, thanks to a witness account, that the driver was on his phone right before the crash — though the driver himself denies that claim. **READ MORE:** [Tesla driver was eating and drinking during publicized Autopilot crash, NTSB reports]() \[*Electrek*\] **More on Autopilot:** *[Idiot Drivers Can’t Grasp That Teslas Aren’t Fully Autonomous]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()