A fatal accident occurred on the morning of 28/6 in Dayton, Nevada, when a Tesla Semi rear-ended two cars stopped at a traffic light. Two individuals died at the scene, and a third was airlifted to the hospital in critical, life-threatening condition, the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol reported.
The Record-Courier newspaper identified the two deceased victims as a married couple in an older model Volkswagen Beetle. The second vehicle struck was a Ford SUV. Initial statements at the scene suggested the truck driver may have fallen asleep. The driver sustained no injuries. The accident remains under investigation.
The truck involved in the incident was a Tesla Semi, a Class 8 electric truck that Tesla is preparing to scale up production of in Nevada. According to the specialized publication Electrek, this marks the first recorded fatal accident involving a Tesla Semi.
Most modern Class 8 heavy trucks are equipped with collision mitigation systems. Furthermore, US regulatory bodies have proposed a mandatory installation regulation for automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on all new heavy trucks, requiring vehicles to stop completely before other vehicles at speeds of up to approximately 100 km/h.
Tesla initially stated the Semi would come standard with an advanced autopilot driver assistance system, utilizing the same camera system as the company's passenger cars. This hardware system powers standard automatic emergency braking on the Model 3 and Model Y, allowing them to brake for obstacles at speeds ranging from approximately 5 to 200 km/h. Tesla also previously claimed that the Semi's independent wheels and motors feature an active control system designed to prevent jackknifing.
However, Tesla has never disclosed specific active safety specifications tailored for the Semi line. It remains unclear whether the truck's forward collision braking feature operates identically to those in its passenger cars, or if the system activated in time before the accident.
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