Tesla confirms autopilot involved in Utah crash but seeks to blame driver

A Tesla car was driving in "autopilot" mode when it crashed into a stopped firetruck in Utah, the company said in a report to police that repeatedly cast blame on the driver, not its semi-autonomous driving system. The confirmation that the vehicle's technology failed to prevent it from colliding with a stopped object in its path came the same day that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it was sending a team to investigate the 11 May crash in Utah. Tesla officials told police on Wednesday that the driver, who suffered a broken ankle when her Tesla Model S crashed, had turned on the "autosteer" and "cruise control" features about 80 seconds prior to the crash and taken her hands off the wheel, Tesla officials told police on Wednesday. In recent weeks, Elon Musk's electric car company has faced fresh scrutiny over the safety of its autopilot feature, which is supposed to assist drivers in navigating the road but cannot drive the cars on its own. In response to numerous high-profile autopilot crashes, including a fatal collision in California, the CEO has insisted that his technology is safer than traditional cars.