Drunk Ford Mach-E Driver Using Assist Tech Charged With Homicide

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A woman has been charged with homicide after getting behind the wheel of her Ford Mach-E and using the onboard driver assistance system Blue Cruise while drunk, causing a fatal accident. It’s the latest in a trend of drivers believing their partially self-driving vehicles will allow them to be drunk, sleep, or be distracted while behind the wheel.

Watch a street takeover driver cry when he gets arrested.

This case involved a fatal crash in Philadelphia on I-95 back in March, reports the Associated Press. It was three in the morning when the all-electric Ford hit a vehicle that was stopped on the left shoulder of the interstate as one driver was trying to help another man whose car had broken down.

Both men were killed in the collision.

Pennsylvania State Police clarified that even if you’re using an advanced automated driving system in your ride, you still need to be ready to take control at any second. We’re pretty sure every vehicle manufacturer has a warning about this displayed somewhere, usually upon startup.

For years, people have wondered who would be held responsible in a crash involving a vehicle with advanced driver assistance technologies. We’re starting to get more answers through legal precedents, although this case is obviously still in flux.

The woman, a 23-year-old pre-med student, turned herself in after charges were filed by authorities. Her legal future remains to be seen. From what her attorney told the AP, it sounds like the defense might be couched in the failure of Blue Cruise and not the woman’s intoxication being the cause of the crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating Blue Cruise and other partially automated driver technologies.

Ford’s Blue Cruise system has allegedly failed in another case involving a Mach-E which also hit a darkened vehicle left in a lane of travel at night. The other driver in that collision was also killed. Whether those are isolated incidents or signs of a troubling trend isn’t entirely clear.

Image via Ford

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