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> The only way you get out of being liable for rear-ending someone is if the leading car maliciously caused you to rear-end them, or if something unpredictable happened that would have made it impossible for you to avoid hitting the other car.

This is literally what happened in this situation. If you have a dashcam and something like this happens, you won't be found at fault.

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The driver behind the Tesla ought to have noticed the Tesla signal its lane change and would have had several seconds to ensure they were leaving sufficient space for the Tesla. If the driver had been attentive and slowed down prior to the Tesla changing lanes, as he should have, then this would have been totally avoidable.

If you went to court for having rear-ended someone in a similar set of circumstances, that's basically what the judge would tell you. Would that be frustrating to hear? Yes, but it's how it works.

It's called autopilot. The person engaging it may come to the understanding that it is the car who is driving, not they. Yet the reality is they must be more attentive than a regular driver because the Tesla can behave unpredictability. Much like overseeing an unprepared student driver.

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