Tesla's Musk says Autopilot update would have prevented fatal crash

Tesla co-chief executive Elon Musk says that a future, planned update to the semi-autonomous Autopilot system would have prevented a fatal crash this year. Musk said on Sunday in a Q&A that Autopilot will be updated over-the-air within the next week or so to improve driver safety, and will include elements such as new limits on hands-off driving and turn off the system should drivers fail to respond to warnings to take back control of an Autopilot-controlled vehicle. As reported by the Reuters news agency, the chief executive said Autopilot 8.0 will rely more heavily on vehicle radar systems to gain a better sense of obstacles and will be a "dramatic improvement" over semi-autonomous controls which currently rely on software and cameras. The tractor trailer drove across the highway but no brake was applied, and so the Tesla vehicle passed under the trailer, causing a crash and killing the driver. Musk says that it was "very likely" that the latest version of Autopilot would have prevented the death, but also reiterated that the system does not represent "perfect safety."