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Molla Announces Retirement from ASA
security camera. The Model S left the house and traveled about 550-feet on a residential road before losing control on a curve, driving over a curb and then slamming into a drainage culvert, raised manhole and a tree. As seen in the photo, the fire destroyed the car and the onboard storage device located inside the infotainment console. The restraint control module was recovered but sustained fire damage and was taken to the NTSB recorder laboratory.
The 2019 Tesla Model S was equipped with Autopilot which requires two features be engaged. Traffic Aware Cruise Control is an adaptive cruise control system that provides acceleration and deceleration. And Autosteer is a lane-keeping system that steers the car in its lane. The NTSB confirmed Traffic Aware Cruise Control could be engaged but Autosteer was not available on that part of the road. There were no speed limit signs in the crash area, but Texas officials say the speed limit is 30 mph.
Initial police reports said the Tesla driver was found in the back seat, leading to statements that suggested the driver wasn’t in the driver’s seat when the crash occurred. Based on results from the NTSB investigation, the driver was in the driver’s seat when the crash occurred, but results from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences also found Varner’s blood alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit of 0.08%.
An autopsy showed Varner died from “blunt force trauma and thermal injuries with smoke inhalation.”
Tesla Model S Steering Wheel Damage/Event Data Recorder
As part of the investigation into whether the Tesla Model S had an occupant in the driver’s seat, the NTSB analyzed the steering wheel and how it was deformed in the crash. In addition, the damaged event data recorder was repaired which allowed the NTSB to extract important crash data. The NTSB found part of the steering wheel was damaged by heat from the fire, but another section was deformed from an impact to the steering wheel. Data from the recorder shows both Tesla Model S front seats were occupied and the seat belts were buckled at the time of the crash.
NTSB investigators also determined the driver was applying the accelerator pedal as high as 98.8% and the highest speed in the five seconds leading up to the crash was 67 mph.
The Texas Tesla crash investigation isn’t complete as investigators continue to study the event data recorder and compare it with evidence from the crash scene. CarComplaints.com will update its website when the government releases additional details.
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The Automotive Service Association announced Nov. 8 that Tony Molla, vice president of industry relations, will retire from the organization at the end of the year. In this case, calling Molla’s career “storied” is literally true. Prior to joining ASA in May 2015, he spent 15 years as the vice president of communications for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) in Leesburg, VA. After attending Temple Universitywithamajorinjournalism, he began his automotive career in the Philadelphia area in 1973, working as an automotive technician, service manager at a Fiat dealership and manager of an independent parts store before joining the Chilton Book Company in 1981. He joined the staff of Motor Age Magazine in 1986, and spent hislastnineyearswiththecompany as the editorial director of MotorAge magazine andAutomotive Body Repair News (ABRN).
Source: ASA
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