Tesla continues to be on the forefront of automobile technology. Of course, Tesla is the leading manufacturer of all-electric vehicles and has been a true pioneer in this arena. Tesla has also been leading the pack when it comes to putting vehicles with automated driving systems onto the road – also known as self-driving cars. The latest derivation on the theme is a system installed in some Tesla vehicles aptly named “Summon.”
Simply put, Summon allows people the ability to remotely “call” their Tesla to pick them up. In other words, with the touch of a button, a parked Tesla hits the road and “self-drives” to the location of the person who summoned the car. Summon technology initially was employed in the United States over the course of the last few days of September and the first few days of October.
Musk Celebrates and Social Media Goes Crazy
Within a matter of days after the introduction of Summon on Tesla vehicles in limited areas in the United States, company CEO Elon Musk celebrated what he called the success of the latest system. He noted that within its first several days of availability, Summon was used over 500,000 times.
On a somewhat related note, social media initially went all but bonkers when people started using Summon. Videos and photos of Teslas in action operated by Summon were the order of the day … well, at least part of the day. In short order, a countervailing trend took root on social media. Videos and photos quickly began to accumulate demonstrating that Summon wasn’t universally working like a charm.
Accidents and Collision Near-Misses are Accumulating
In very little time, social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook began to feature an ever-increasing number of videos and photos of Teslas operating on Summon scrapping the sides of other cars and barely avoiding full-on collisions with other cars. Simply, Summon isn’t working that well with troubling frequency.
As of the end of the first week of October 2019, there were no reports of injuries associated with Tesla and Summon mishaps. With that said, Summon has only been in limited operation for less than a month. Moreover, thus far Teslas operating on Summon more often than not are driving about pedestrian-rich parking lots and facilities. Thus, industry analysists simply aren’t holding their collective breath that wider implementation of Summon will occur across the U.S.A. without notable incidents involving injured pedestrians and drives and passengers in other traditional automobiles.
Regulation of Self-Driving Vehicles Isn’t What Most People Think
Many people are likely to assume that Summon on Tesla has been subject to a tremendous amount of regulatory oversight. In fact, there has been next to none. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken a hands-off approach to Summon (as well as other automated driving technology). The Department of Transportation has only issued some voluntary guidelines – suggestions, at best.
People from all walks of life need to be aware of the latest technological developments when it comes to self-driving vehicles. As more and more of this technology becomes available, the risks and perils faced by people because of more of these vehicles on the road naturally increases.
Car defect lawyers, like members of the legal team at The Doan Law Office, are only very recently started to face claims and cases involving people who’ve been injured as the result of defects and other issues associated with self-driving technology. If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of some type of mishap involving self-driving technology, you need to be as proactive as possible in protecting your legal rights.
You can schedule an initial consultation with a car defect lawyer from our firm by calling us at (800) 349-0000. We are a nationwide law firm, with offices located across the country. Depending on your circumstances, we can also meet you at your home or via a virtual appointment online. There is no charge for an initial consultation. In addition, The Doan Law Firm makes an attorney fee promise to you. We never charge an attorney fee unless out legal team wins for you.