Cody Warner Provides Legal Analysis on Law360 About First Tesla Autopilot Felony Case

On October 4, Law360.com published Cody Warner’s legal commentary about People v. Kevin George Aziz Riad, a criminal case in Los Angeles that is believed to be the first felony prosecution against a person who was involved in a fatal collision while driving a Tesla using its Autopilot feature. Cody argues that the felony charges are unjustified against Mr. Riad and are the result of an incorrect assumption by the prosecution that Mr. Riad was recklessly relying on Autopilot. 

As more self-driving vehicles enter our roadways, more fatal collisions involving self-driving vehicles will inevitably occur. Until vehicles are fully autonomous and human drivers are no longer involved in the operation of a vehicle, more people will face criminal charges, such as vehicular manslaughter, when fatal collisions occur that involve vehicles with self-driving technology. Cody is focused on investigating the emerging technology and law to help protect people who have been criminally charged for incidents involving self-driving vehicles.