World News for Students of English

26-04-2021 07:00

A week ago, two men died after a Tesla vehicle, that was believed to be operating driverless, crashed into a tree in Texas, US.

According to local media, the 2019 Tesla model S was moving at a high speed when it failed to round a curve, speeding off the roadway, crashing into a tree, and bursting into flames. After the fire was extinguished, authorities found one occupant in the front passenger seat and one in the back.

The crash came amid growing scrutiny over Tesla’s semi-automated driving system, following several recent accidents. In March, the US Auto Safety Agency said that it had opened over 25 investigations into crashes of Tesla vehicles.

The latest accidents could throw a wrench in Tesla’s plans to launch its updated full self-driving software to more customers. In January, Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, said that he was confident the car would be able to drive itself this year.

Difficult words: scrutiny (a searching examination or inspection), semi-automated (a process that is performed by both human and machine steps), throw a wrench (to do something that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.