--- title: "Tesla Driver Forced to Pay After Killing Two People on Autopilot" description: "A man in Los Angeles has been ordered to pay more than $23,000 in restitution after killing two people with his Tesla while using Autopilot." date: "2023-12-18" modified: "2023-12-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-driver-pay-killing-two-people-autopilot" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "autopilot" - "Self-driving cars" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Driver Forced to Pay After Killing Two People on Autopilot ![A man in Los Angeles has been ordered to pay more than $23,000 in restitution after killing two people with his Tesla while using Autopilot.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Grand Deathed Auto A man in Los Angeles has been ordered to pay more than $23,000 in restitution after killing two people with his Tesla back in 2019 while using Autopilot. As [*Fortune* reports](), it's possibly the first time US prosecutors have brought felony charges against a motorist who was using driver assistance software. It's also one of over a dozen deadly collisions currently being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which culminated in the [recall of more than 2 million Tesla vehicles]() last week. The latest court case could set a precedent for the future use of driver assistance software like Autopilot — especially because $23,000 is an arguably pitifully small price to pay given the well-documented dangers of Tesla's driver-assistance software. ## Life-Saving Update LA-based Tesla driver Kevin Aziz Riad [pleaded not guilty]() last year to two counts of vehicular manslaughter. He was initially facing seven years in prison. His vehicle, which had its Autopilot feature turned on at the time of the accident, struck a Honda Civic on December 29, 2019 while driving 74 mph. The Civic's two occupants died at the scene. Aziz Riad is still facing two civil lawsuits filed against him by the families of the deceased, as *Fortune* reports. Last week's recall, which was addressed through an over-the-air software update, was the result of the NHTSA deeming Tesla's Autosteer feature to be too easily misused. "The remedy will incorporate additional controls and alerts to those already existing on affected vehicles to further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility whenever Autosteer is engaged," the regulator's [recall notice reads](), "which includes keeping their hands on the steering wheel and paying attention to the roadway." The recall may have come just under four years too late in the case of Aziz Riad. "The recently announced recall, if it limits the use of Autopilot to controlled access highways, would likely have prevented this tragic incident," lawyer Donald Slavik, who is representing one of the victim's families, told *Fortune*. **More on Autopilot:** *[Feds Blast Tesla for Massive Autopilot Issue in 2 Million Cars]()* ## 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]()