That "it's the drivers fault" position is going to be even less tenable if (or, unfortunately, when) someone not in the car is killed or maimed.
To be clear: if someone not paying attention causes a crash, it is their fault. This does not, however, absolve Tesla (or any other manufacturer) from the responsibility for releasing an insufficiently-tested and potentially dangerous system into an environment where anyone who has a passing familiarity with human nature knows it will not be used responsibly.
Tesla calls it 'beta' software, and went so far as to describe the deceased driver as a tester in its press release after the crash. Again, anyone who understands human nature can see that this is a cynical attempt to manipulate the public's opinion. It may, however, come back to bite them, when people start asking WTF they were thinking when they put beta software on the road in the hands of ordinary drivers.
To be clear: if someone not paying attention causes a crash, it is their fault. This does not, however, absolve Tesla (or any other manufacturer) from the responsibility for releasing an insufficiently-tested and potentially dangerous system into an environment where anyone who has a passing familiarity with human nature knows it will not be used responsibly.
Tesla calls it 'beta' software, and went so far as to describe the deceased driver as a tester in its press release after the crash. Again, anyone who understands human nature can see that this is a cynical attempt to manipulate the public's opinion. It may, however, come back to bite them, when people start asking WTF they were thinking when they put beta software on the road in the hands of ordinary drivers.