MIAMI – A critical voice took the stand Wednesday in the first-ever federal jury trial involving Tesla’s Autopilot system: a safety expert who says the technology is defective and promoted in ways that encourage misuse.
Day two of testimony at Miami’s federal courthouse brought a strong warning about Tesla’s Autopilot system from a former federal safety official who has worked inside the agency that regulates automakers.
Mary Cummings, a professor at George Mason University and former senior advisor to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told jurors Tesla’s Autopilot system is “defective” and its driver monitoring features are not enough to keep drivers attentive behind the wheel.
Cummings said Tesla’s corporate messaging promotes “the abuse and misuse” of the technology, arguing the system gives drivers a false sense of security.
Court got off to a late start Wednesday morning as attorneys debated whether a Tesla recall could be admitted as evidence. They eventually agreed on a stipulation, and jurors were brought in an hour after the scheduled start time.
The trial centers on a deadly crash in Key Largo in 2019.
Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, were standing outside their SUV on Card Sound Road when a Tesla Model S — in Autopilot mode — slammed into them at 60 miles per hour. Benavides was killed, and Angulo survived with serious injuries.
Body camera video captured driver George McGee saying he had dropped his cellphone and was reaching down to pick it up when the impact happened.
The lawsuit claims Autopilot did nothing to prevent the crash and that Tesla overstated its safety capabilities. But Tesla’s attorneys argue it was driver error — not the technology — that caused the collision.
Tesla attorneys pointed to data showing that the driver’s foot was on the gas pedal at the time, overriding the system.
