I think when you look at it from that perspective Tesla are in real trouble. Essentially what they're publicly stating is "Our car detected it was in a dangerou

I think when you look at it from that perspective Tesla are in real trouble. Essentially what they're publicly stating is "Our car detected it was in a dangerous situation, gave warnings to the driver but took no action". That's really not good enough. I don't know of any other system in a car which is designed to allow you to take your hands off the wheel - because that seems to actively encourage you not to pay attention and to increase reaction time. I could definitely imagine the NTSB coming back from this investigation saying that Tesla's active advertising campaign suggesting that drivers should take their hands off their steering wheel is bad and played a significant role in this accident. The question is whether repeated incidences could cause the NTSB to suggest removal of the autopilot feature entirely (in its current state).