Tesla absolved of fault in fatal crash involving driverless car

Washington

THE push to bring self-driving cars to American roads got a significant boost on Thursday when the nation's chief auto safety regulator essentially cleared Tesla Motors Inc's Autopilot system of fault in a fatal 2016 crash.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the owner of a Tesla Motors Inc Model S sedan that drove itself into the side of a truck in May had ignored the manufacturer's warnings to maintain control even while using the driver-assist function. The agency said it found no defect in the vehicle and wouldn't issue a recall.