Tesla Crash at Ferry Terminal Ruled Driver Error

Summary:

• A January Tesla crash at a ferry terminal in Canada has been ruled driver error by police.
• According to the police, the incident occurred after the Tesla “suddenly accelerated.”
• The driver, a 68-year-old Vancouver resident, has been issued a ticket for driving without due care and attention.

An accident where a Tesla crashed into the Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries terminal in West Vancouver, B.C., Canada, earlier this year was the result of driver error — reports North Shore News.

Back in January, a 68-year-old Vancouver resident crashed his Tesla into the ferry structure at the Horseshoe Bay terminal after what police described as the car having “suddenly accelerated.” According to a BC Ferries spokesperson, the incident occurred at a closed gate at one of the berths. The Tesla’s passengers were taken to the hospital after paramedics arrived on the scene, the spokesperson said.

Now, the West Vancouver Police Department has determined that the accident was caused by human error and not a vehicle malfunction. “Following an analysis of the vehicle data, the investigators determined the collision to be human-caused,” said a police spokesperson.

The driver has been issued a ticket for driving without due care and attention under Canada’s Motor Vehicle Act. At the time of the crash, the police said the estimated damage to the ferry structure was more than $30,000. However, BC Ferries said on Friday that the damage was “in the thousands.”

Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) have been the subject of several malfunction probes, including for sudden acceleration and “phantom braking.”

In January 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that instances of sudden accelerations in Tesla EVs were caused by driver error. According to Tesla, the company’s advanced driver assistance system, Autopilot, helps prevent 40 “pedal error” crashes per day.