Two killed after Tesla car crashes with no one in driver’s seat

Even though Tesla's cars have a system called Autopilot, it's not a fully autonomous system.

Two men have been killed in Houston after a Tesla vehicle, which is believed to have been operating without a person in the driver's seat, was involved in a collision. The car was travelling at high speed when it reached a curve and left the road, crashing into a tree and bursting into flames.

“There was no one in the driver’s seat," Sgt. Cinthya Umanzor of the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 said.

Local TV station KHOU-TV said the fire was extinguished and authorities located two occupants in the vehicle, one in the front passenger seat and the other in the back seat of the car.

Police confirmed one of those who died was born in 1962, while the other was born in 1951.

The incident comes as Tesla faces scrutiny for its semi-automated driving system following a number of recent accidents.

In March, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had opened 27 investigations into crashes of Tesla vehicles, with at least three of these crashes occurring recently.

Tesla's cars have a semi-automated driver assistance feature which is called Autopilot, but despite the name, Tesla says it is not a fully autonomous system and requires a person in the driver's seat to monitor for safety.