Autos

Driver in Tesla Autopilot crash was speeding: NTSB report

The Tesla Model S.
Michael S. Williamson | The Washington Post | Getty Images

A Tesla Model S driver killed in a crash while using the car's Autopilot feature was driving nine miles above the speed limit, according to a National Traffic Safety Board preliminary report published Tuesday.

The driver was traveling at 74 miles per hour on a Florida highway with a 65 mile-per-hour speed limit, when the car collided with the side of a white semitrailer, the report said.

"System performance data also revealed that the driver was operating the car using the advanced driver assistance features Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer lane keeping assistance," the report said. "The car was also equipped with automatic emergency braking that is designed to automatically apply the brakes to reduce the severity of or assist in avoiding frontal collisions."

The report is preliminary, and will be "supplemented or corrected" as the agency's investigation continues.

Calls on Tesla to disable the Autopilot followed the crash, including one from Consumer Reports, though Tesla so far has said it will not shut off the feature.