Self-driving car kills 71-year-old man on California freeway
- A 71-year-old man was killed after being struck by a car operating in Full Self-Driving mode on Interstate 80 in Vallejo, California.
- The driver told the California Highway Patrol the car was in self-driving mode; footage showed it braking and steering to avoid the man.
- The highway patrol says the technology is not fully autonomous and drivers remain responsible for safe operation.
A 71-year-old man has died after being struck by a car running in Full Self-Driving mode on a California freeway, according to reports of the crash. The New York Post reported that the collision happened at about 2:35 am on Thursday on westbound Interstate 80, near where it meets Interstate 780 in Vallejo.
The newspaper reported that the car was moving at roughly 70 miles per hour when the man came onto the road from the right shoulder and started walking towards the central divider. The 26-year-old driver, who is from San Francisco, told the California Highway Patrol (CHP) that the vehicle was in Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode when it hit the man.
The CHP said an initial look at the car's dashboard camera footage showed the vehicle trying to avoid the man before the impact. The agency said the video showed the brakes coming on and the car turning left, but the right front of the vehicle still struck him.
According to the report, the man was then hit by at least one other vehicle as he lay on the freeway. Those other motorists did not stop, and their identities are not known.
The 26-year-old driver stayed at the scene, worked with investigators and handed over the dashboard footage, the CHP said. The agency is investigating and has asked witnesses, and anyone with information about the other vehicles, to come forward.
Why it matters
The death adds to concerns about how safe driver-assistance systems are. Earlier this month, a driver reportedly fell asleep while using FSD on Interstate 80 and crashed into a highway patrol vehicle, injuring two officers.
The CHP warned motorists not to treat the technology as a replacement for paying attention. "Despite the name, FSD is not fully autonomous driving," the agency said, adding that the driver remains responsible for operating the vehicle safely.
For Nigerians, the case is a reminder that self-driving features now being marketed globally are still assistive tools, not driverless cars. The CHP has not said whether the driver will face any action, and no charges have been announced.
What happens next
The CHP's investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the other vehicles involved is asked to contact the agency.
