71-year-old woman struck and killed by self-driving Tesla in Phoenix due to glare and system failure

Summary

A self-driving Tesla struck and killed a 71-year-old woman in the Phoenix area in 2023. The incident occurred as the woman was directing traffic after a prior accident, and the vehicle failed to detect her despite a driver being present. Footage released by Bloomberg showed the Tesla struggling with glare from the Arizona sunset before veering onto the pedestrian. Tesla did not report the crash to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for seven months after the incident. The crash prompted a federal investigation into Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” software, which has been linked to multiple crashes. Tesla’s system relies on visual cameras rather than LiDAR, a design choice that has raised safety concerns.