Car involved in deadly German crash was not self-driving, BMW says

A fatal crash involving four vehicles on a German highway did not involve a self-driving car, BMW said on Tuesday, refuting a police statement that had questioned whether the driver had been actively steering the vehicle at the time.

A fully electric BMW iX car veered onto the opposite lane of the B28 federal road near the southwestern town of Roemerstein on Monday, crashing into two other vehicles and indirectly causing another collision, police said in a statement.

A woman was killed and nine other people, including the driver of the BMW and his passenger, were seriously injured.

Traffic police have launched an investigation into the cause of the incident, which police said involved an autonomous vehicle.

BMW confirmed that the crash had involved one of its models but said the car in question had no self-driving capabilities. The vehicle is equipped with Level 2 driver assistance systems, in which case “the driver always remains responsible”, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Such systems can brake automatically, accelerate and, unlike Level 1 systems, take over steering, according to BMW’s website.

The carmaker said it was in close contact with the authorities to establish the exact circumstances of the crash.

Reuters