A 23-year-old woman who allegedly killed two men in March while using Ford’s hands-free system, BlueCruise, has been charged with DUI homicide by Pennsylvania State Police. The woman, Dimple Patel, turned herself in on Tuesday.
Patel was also charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, careless driving, reckless driving and prohibited text-based communications, according to a report sent by Pennsylvania State Police. Patel was driving on Interstate 95 at around 3:20 a.m. ET when the crash occurred. She was traveling at about 71 miles per hour in her 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E with the BlueCruise hands-free driving feature and Adaptive Cruise Control systems activated at the time of the crash.
The men, identified as Aktilek Baktybekov and Tolobek Esenbekov, had pulled over to the left side of the highway and exited their vehicles. Patel rear-ended one of the cars and killed both of the men.
In a statement, the Pennsylvania State Police urged drivers to always stay alert and limit distractions when driving.
“No partially automated vehicle technology should ever be left alone to perform the driving tasks that are required to safely navigate the roads of the Commonwealth,” according to the statement sent to TechCrunch. “While the advancements in technology are immense, always strive to maintain proper control of your vehicle. If you are driving hands free, be aware and ready to regain control if the situation warrants your immediate reaction.”
The fatal crash in Pennsylvania — along with another one that happened in Texas in February — is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation. It’s one of a number of ongoing efforts to scrutinize the use of partial automation. But it’s one of the first cases where charges have been brought against the driver, who is supposed to supervise the driver assistance system’s performance and take over if it is about to crash.
