The new revelation of a second fatal Tesla crash while the vehicle was likely on autopilot shows the company cannot be trusted to deal with deadly failures in its vehicles and underscores the need for enforceable federal safety standards covering autonomous vehicle technology, the US group Consumer Watchdog said.

China’s CCTV reported on Wednesday that Gao Yaning, 23, died in January after crashing into the back of a road sweeping truck near Handan, 300 miles south of Beijing. CCTV said the Tesla Model S was on autopilot.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

“Tesla’s failure to report the death of another of its human guinea pigs in a timely manner is unconscionable,” said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project director. “It also makes it clear that autonomous vehicle technologies must be subject to safety regulations that are enforceable by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”

What was widely believed to be the first fatal Tesla crash in Florida killed Joshua Brown, 40, in May.  It was not revealed until late June.

“Tesla’s vehicles are connected and data is transmitted to the company.  There is no way that Tesla was unaware of the China crash. Keeping it secret since January smacks of a cover-up,” said Simpson.

See Also:

Consumer Watchdog noted that NHTSA is expected to release autonomous vehicle policy “guidance” any day.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

“Guidance is meaningless and will be ignored by companies when it suits them,” said Simpson. “This second fatal crash and the following cover-up demonstrates the need for real enforceable standards.  NHTSA needs to start a rulemaking covering autonomous vehicle technologies.”

CCVTV’s report (in Chinese)