Autopilot Engaged During Fatal Crash
A preliminary report into a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model 3 in the US has found Autopilot had been engaged 10 seconds before the crash. The roof of the car was sheared off in the accident and the driver was killed. According to the report, the driver did not appear to have his hands on the wheel and neither he nor the Autopilot took any evasive action. Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office previously named the driver as Jeremy Beren Banner, 50, according to local news channel WPTV. Will we ever be able to trust self-driving cars? The investigation into the accident, which happened on a highway in Delray Beach, Florida, is being carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Tesla said it was the only time during the journey that Autopilot had been activated. Tesla does not recommend that drivers remove their hands from the wheel when using the vehicle's Autopilot feature. On that occasion Tesla did not reveal whether Autopilot had spotted the barrier. In May 2016 another driver of a Tesla car died when his car failed to spot a lorry crossing its path. The driver was found to have used Autopilot for 37 minutes but only had his hands on the wheel for 25 seconds.
The G70's comprehensive excellence is impressive on its own, but pricing that substantially undercuts the usual suspects makes it that much sweeter. The Honda Accord has appeared on our 10Best Cars list a record 33 times. Such an achievement is no accident; it's the culmination of Honda's fastidious fine-tuning and dogged attention to detail. While agreeableness is a given in most new cars, the Accord's dynamics are several degrees beyond the agreeable, with finely tuned primary controls, a light helm with good feedback, and an optional and precise six-speed manual shifter. The delicate, well-placed pedals work so naturally as to disappear. Likewise, the Accord's controlled body motions and supple ride quality encourage its occupants to relax during the everyday slog. So how can it be so much fun to fling the Accord through challenging corners? We can imagine Honda's engineers working late into the night, fretting over minutiae as their uneaten dinners grow cold at home. Their fine-tuning extends to the Accord hybrid, which joins the regular models on this year's list.
Its clever direct-drive gearbox and arrangement of motors and clutches help propel the car partially, or solely, on electrons, and the integration of all the pieces is seamless. The hybrid's 42 mpg on our highway fuel-economy loop is as much an achievement as the punchy turbocharged 2.0-liter's 5.5-second streak to 60 mph. Human creations are rarely entirely perfect. Despite the Accord's fastback profile, the slinkier Mazda 6 is still prettier. And none of us would complain if Honda obsessed over a better solution than the 10-speed automatic's clumsy shift buttons. But the current-generation Accord, now in its sophomore year on this list, convincingly exhibits Honda's obsessive-compulsive approach to mass-market carmaking. The model continues to balance engagement, quality, and practicality more consistently than any other car. The Honda Civic Sport hatchback (not the coupe or sedan, which have a different engine), Si, and Type R share a common theme. They're overachievers, economy cars overcompensating for tepid expectations with unnatural talent.
All three deliver bold responses and yearn to be more than simple commuters. The Type R's completeness earns it a trophy. Its trim-exclusive front suspension isolates steering and driving loads to help quell torque steer, and it pulls 1.04 g's on the skidpad. The turbocharged 306-hp 2.0-liter鈥攖he most powerful engine ever sold by Honda in America鈥攕ends the bewinged hatch to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. And this no-compromise driving experience is found in a four-door hatch that's stiff but perfectly usable in daily living. 25,195 package. Though it lacks the Type R's laser focus, it sometimes feels like the bigger achievement given its price. The Si's 205-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter also pairs with a helical-gear limited-slip differential. Fitted with the available summer rubber, the Si coupe will hit 60 in 6.3 seconds and circle the skidpad at 0.97 g. The Si strikes an ideal middle ground between the Civic's pragmatic roots and its performance pinnacle. 23K, the 180-hp Civic Sport hatchback is a fine way to slay cloverleafs on the way to work.