Elon Musk's Tesla reports first death from driverless car Model S

Elon Musk’s car giant Tesla has reported the first-known fatality from a driverless car, after a passenger died when his self-driving electric saloon crashed into an articulated lorry.

Former Navy Seal, Joshua Brown, 40 from Ohio, died in the crash when his Model S crashed on a motorway in Florida on May 7.

Tesla revealed the fatality last night after US traffic safety regulators opened a preliminary investigation into the collision.

Brown had previously praised the self-driving system for avoiding a collision in a separate incident, according to a video on his YouTube channel.

Tesla’s self-driving feature, called Autopilot, failed to spot the white lorry because it blended in with the bright sky, Tesla said. The system uses radars, cameras and computer software to control the vehicle.

Autopilot is in the early stages of development but the company has fitted it in cars to let drivers try out the feature.

Tesla recommends drivers keep their hands on the wheel at all times while the car drives. The system will slow down the car if the driver’s hands are off the wheel.

The lorry driver has claimed Brown was watching a Harry Potter film at the time of the crash, but Tesla said films cannot be watched on its in-car TV system.

Shares in the company fell 3.8% overnight.