Virginia sheriff’s office says Tesla was running on Autopilot moments before tractor-trailer crash

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — Virginia authorities have determined that a Tesla was operating on its Autopilot system and was speeding in the moments leading to a crash with a crossing tractor-trailer last July that killed the Tesla driver. The death of Pablo Teodoro III is the third since 2016 in which a Tesla that was using Autopilot ran underneath a crossing tractor-trailer, raising questions about the partially automated system’s safety and where it should operate. The crash south of Washington remains under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office says investigators determined that Autopilot was in use on Teodoro’s Model Y before the crash by downloading information from the its event data recorder. A message was left Tuesday with Tesla.