Investigating a Fatal Collision of a Tesla on Autopilot

Part of the growing pains of introducing new technology is that growing pains sometimes come with a steep price. Unfortunately in this case it was the loss of life. The crash involved a 40-year-old Ohio man who was killed when his 2015 Model S drove under the trailer of an 18-wheeler on a highway near Williston, Florida. Understanding your policy  and its limitations are part of the service that we at County Insurance Group take pride in educating our customers.

The details of the accident are likely to add fuel to the debate over whether self-driving cars are ready for the real world. Autopilot didn’t notice the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake wasn’t applied, said Tesla, which reported the May 7 incident to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In a blog post, Tesla said that the fatal crash is the first known fatality in more than 130 million miles of Autopilot driving.

If the Autopilot system didn’t recognize the tractor trailer, then Tesla will have to recall the cars to fix the flaw, said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, an advocacy group in Washington. Ditlow said that Tesla’s Autopilot system needs to be able to recognize all possible road conditions.

“That’s a clear-cut defect and there should be a recall,” Ditlow said in a phone interview. “When you put Autopilot in a vehicle, you’re telling people to trust the system even if there is lawyerly warning to keep your hands on the wheel.”

Tesla Autopilot features in October. Autopilot is a step towards autonomous or self driving cars, and includes features like automatic lane changing, auto steering and the ability of the vehicle to parallel park itself. Tesla stresses that drivers still maintain responsibility for safe driving and should keep their hands on the wheel at all times.

Google is also testing self driving cars. This will be the beginning of several discussions as to the readiness of self driving cars for our highways.

Alligators at the Walt Disney Property in Florida

Recently the news from a Disney property in Florida was captivated by the horror of an alligator snatching a two year boy from the edge of a lagoon.  There is much head scratching about why Disney had not posted any signs warning of the presence of alligators in the area. The company has since installed signage. This lapse of attention to detail is not the norm for the highly regarded and respected global Disney brand. Disney has set aside nearly a third of its land outside Orlando as a wildlife conservation area. There will be many insurance questions that will have to be answered. Why was there no signs?. Why was the lagoon populated with so many alligators within such close proximity to guests?.

The Walt Disney Company has had more than 240 “nuisance” alligators captured and killed over the last 10 years at its Florida theme park property according to state records. The state considers an alligator a nuisance if it's at least 4 feet in length and is believed to pose a threat to people, property and pets. The records reveal the  parks constant struggle to keep the alligators away from humans. The property has numerous canals and waterways which make it easy for the alligators to travel which is behavior pattern that is typical of them. Disney has been removing an average of 24 alligators a year from the property.

Well,  let us be clear Florida is alligator country. There are 1.3 million wild alligators in Florida. That is roughly one for every 15 residents. Records show that the largest alligator trapped on Disney property was caught last year and measured 13 feet long. It is so sad for the family to lose their son at of all places a theme park. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Property Insurance Protection against Lightening Strikes

Property Insurance,protection against devastating whether events Ft Lauderdale

Property insurance,South Florida weather can at times leave some devastating property loss. We have past experiences of what can happen after a Hurricane or serious thunderstorm tornado and other natural disasters.

Many of us refer to Ft. Lauderdale as the Lightning capital of the country. #Lightning knocking out our electrical box is somewhat of a common occurrence. The next question is, are we adequately covered. No need to resort to reading the policy after the damage is done.

We need to be aware of what our policy endorsements and coverages are. There may be limitations on debris removal after a covered loss. There may be coverage for food spoilage as a result of a lighting strike that knocks out the power. Why not let County Insurance Group review your policy to make sure that your assets are adequately protected. www.countyinsurancegroup.com