Melbourne driver blames Tesla Autopilot for alleged hit and run

A 26-year-old aged care worker is in a critical condition following an alleged hit and run in the Melbourne suburb of Armadale on Tuesday morning – with Tesla's Autopilot feature being blamed.

Victoria Police charged a 23-year-old woman with dangerous driving causing serious injury, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, and failure to render assistance.

According to The Age, the driver told a court overnight Autopilot mode was engaged on her Tesla Model 3 when the victim was struck by the car while trying to board a tram.

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The probationary driver allegedly fled the scene, before returning with her partner two hours later, who described the incident as “just a normal accident, it happens every day”.

“She was going to come back anyway. She was a bit scared,” he told Nine News.

The driver, whose licence has reportedly been suspended in the past, is understood to be living in Australia on a bridging visa. She was granted bail despite police prosecutors raising concerns she could attempt to flee the country.

It’s reportedly the first time Victorian major collision investigators have been confronted with a case involving Tesla’s Autopilot – a semi-autonomous driving technology which allows the car to accelerate, brake, and steer without driver inputs.

Those using the feature are required to keep their hands on the wheel and monitor the road so they can take over control of the car.

Tesla’s Autopilot has been blamed for a number of fatal collisions around the world as sales have increased, but it was late 2021 when a driver in California was charged with vehicular manslaughter after their Model S struck a car at a red light and killed the two occupants while Autopilot was engaged – believed to be the first case of its kind in the world.

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File photo.

Experts have previously raised concerns about how semi-autonomous technology would interact with trams, kangaroos, and Melbourne’s unique hook-turns.

It’s not known whether Tesla has modified its Autopilot software to deal with the unique challenges of Australian roads.