A fatal crash involving a Tesla car being operated in autopilot mode could lead to some second-guessing about autonomous cars and may slow the pace of the technology's adoption.
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As automated and semi-automated vehicle technologies continue to develop and improve, it is important to keep clear the distinction between the two. Driver-assist features, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and active lane assist -- many of which are already in use and some of which are due to become available in new vehicle models in the next couple of years -- still require driver interaction and attention. The autopilot mode used in Tesla models that was activated in at least two accidents within the past few months is a similar technology....
