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US: Two people die after 'driverless' Tesla car crashes in Houston

The vehicle crashed into a tree and burst into flames

tesla-bitcoin-elon-musk-pixabay-getty Representational image | AFP, Getty Images, Pixabay

Two men riding a driverless Tesla Model S sedan died after the vehicle crashed into a tree on Saturday. The incident took place at night in the north of Houston. The 2019 model Tesla vehicle was travelling at high speed, said Sargent Cinthya Umanzor of the Harris County Constable Precinct 4. 

The vehicle failed to take a turn successfully, went off the road, crashed on to a tree and burst into flames. The authorities found two people in the car—one in the front passenger seat and the other in the back seat. 

There have been growing concerns regarding the safety of Tesla's semi-automated vehicles, as accident reports involving driverless vehicles have gone up. The company is preparing to launch its full self-driving software to customers. Despite safety concerns, influencers and Tesla fans continue posting images and videos of them riding in driverless cars, sometimes pretending to be asleep.

The US auto safety agency, in March, opened 27 investigations into crashes involving Tesla vehicles. In January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects huge profits from the self-driving software. He added that he is "highly confident the car will be able to drive itself with reliability in excess of human this year." 

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