The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that the driver of a Tesla involved in a fatal crash in Katy, Texas, last month pressed the accelerator pedal to its maximum, overriding the vehicle's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system. The preliminary report, released on Wednesday, found that the car was travelling at more than 70 miles per hour on a residential road with a 30 mph limit when it left the roadway and struck a house, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila.
The findings back Tesla's earlier account of the incident, which the company shared days after the crash to argue that its driver assistance software was not responsible. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had posted on X that the suggestion the system was to blame 'makes no sense', noting that Full Self-Driving is designed to drive slowly through neighbourhood streets. The NTSB also confirmed that security camera footage showed the car accelerating through an intersection before the collision, in clear, dry conditions.
The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, has been charged with manslaughter and is also facing a civil lawsuit from Ms Avila's family, who allege negligence. Police reports indicate that Butler told authorities he had 'passed out' and was using the driver assistance system at the time. Investigators also discovered that his Google searches included phrases such as 'Tesla FSD not aggressive enough 2026' and 'Tesla FSD too timid', according to local news station KTRK TV.
For UK readers, the case highlights ongoing concerns about the safety and regulation of 'level 2' driver assistance systems, which require the driver to remain vigilant and ready to take control at all times. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has previously scrutinised the data collection practices of autonomous vehicle systems, while the European Union's AI Act, which came into force earlier this year, imposes strict requirements on high-risk AI systems, including those used in driver assistance technologies. The UK government is yet to introduce equivalent legislation, though it has consulted on the safety of automated vehicles.
Experts warn that incidents like this could undermine public trust in automated driving features, which are increasingly being marketed to UK consumers. 'The risk is that drivers become over-reliant on these systems and fail to supervise them properly,' said Dr Eleanor Hayes, a transport safety researcher at the University of Oxford. 'For UK businesses developing similar technology, the challenge is to balance innovation with robust safety standards, especially as regulators both here and in Europe tighten their oversight.' The NTSB and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration continue their investigations.