Tesla self-driving accident leaves Montreal man with hefty bill
George Ghazzoul is warning other drivers about the new Smart Summon feature on Tesla vehicles after his self-driving vehicle side-swiped another in a parking lot.
When Ghazzoul bought a Tesla two years ago, he admitted it wasn't just the car's style that drove him; it was his love of technology.
"Really, the selling point for me is the fact you get software updates and you always get new features on the car," he said.
One of the latest downloadable features is Smart Summon.
Like a valet service, it allows your car to come to you using your phone's GPS as its target destination.
Ghazzoul decided to give it a try on April 10 when he was at the Fairview Shopping Centre parking lot.
He used the feature to summon his parked car to pick him up.
"I was within range when I activated it," he said. "I saw it moving initially, but then it took a sharp turn right instead of pulling out of the spot first." He tried to deactivate the feature, but the car didn't stop in time, so he ended up sideswiping the car parked beside it.
The estimate for damage to both cars was several thousand dollars. Ghazzoul contacted Tesla about the accident.
He said since it was their feature that malfunctioned, they should take responsibility, but he said they told him to contact his insurance company instead and that it was not their problem since he activated the feature.
His insurance company, meanwhile, said he was fully at fault for the accident.
What's worse for Ghazzoul is that he has since discovered that it wasn't even legal for him to use this driverless feature in public spaces in Quebec.
"The rules were written before the technology existed," according to George Iny, the director of the Automobile Protection Association.
He said that it's up to drivers to know the rules of the road, including the fact that parking lots are considered public spaces and, therefore, this technology should not be activated.
He said, however, that it's also up to manufacturers to communicate this to their customers.
"There is also the issue of the ethical and moral compass of a company that sells you a feature that is no good to you, where the car is going to be registered and doesn't bother to tell you don't use this," said Iny.
He added that manufacturers could also not activate such features in markets where it would not be allowed.
Tesla did not respond to CTV's request for an interview.
Ghazzoul said that while he is relieved no one got hurt, he's now left to pay for the damages himself so that his insurance premiums don't go up. He says he feels disappointed with Tesla.
"There's no information on where to use it and where not to use it," he said.
He wants to warn other Tesla drivers not to make the same mistake he did, and check first before taking new features out for a test drive.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
Police: 3 killed, including suspected gunman, in Minneapolis shooting
Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead after a shooting Thursday at a Minneapolis apartment complex, police said.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
$400K in damages for B.C. woman who had unnecessary mastectomy was 'inordinately high,' court finds
A jury's award of $400,000 to a woman who had a mastectomy after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer has been substantially reduced by B.C.'s highest court, which found the damages were "wholly disproportionate."