Tesla car on Autopilot when fatal crash occurred, company says

Tesla defended its Autopilot feature, saying that while it doesn't prevent all accidents, it makes them less likely to occur than vehicles without it. The Tesla vehicle involved in a fatal crash last month in Northern California was operating on Autopilot, the automaker has confirmed. But Tesla contends that the victim and a damaged freeway barrier share in the blame. The Model X SUV crashed in Mountain View, in California's Silicon Valley, on March 23, killing its driver, Apple engineer Walter Huang, 38. The electric car maker said in a company blog post that the driver did not have his hands on the steering wheel for six seconds before the crash, despite several warnings from the vehicle.