As cars gain autonomy, we can’t blame technology for our faults

Meet 23-year-old Philadelphia resident Dimple Patel. On Sept. 3, the pre-med student was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, DUI and a slew of other offenses in connection with the deaths of two men on the I-95 in March.

Not much unique about the story, nothing more than a run-of-the-mill DUI killing.

Here’s the twist: Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) believe Patel was using her hands-free driving mode at the time of the collision, having engaged the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s BlueCruise and adaptive cruise control. In May, NTSB released a preliminary report that stated, “Vehicle-based data indicated that the vehicle’s 23-year-old driver was using BlueCruise.”