A 76-year-old woman died in Katy, Texas, on 19 June after a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her home, according to local authorities. The driver, Michael David Butler, 44, has been charged with manslaughter. Investigators say the vehicle reached 73 mph — more than double the residential speed limit — and that the brake pedal was not applied in the final minute before impact. Data reviewed by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office indicates the accelerator was pressed to 100 per cent moments before the car left the road and struck the house.

Tesla executives have disputed early accounts that the company’s driver-assistance system was active at the time of the collision. The firm’s head of AI stated that the driver manually overrode the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature by fully depressing the accelerator. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation. Separately, in Nevada, the first known fatal crash involving a Tesla Semi truck killed two people on 30 June when the electric lorry struck two vehicles near Dayton. Preliminary statements suggest the truck driver may have fallen asleep, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said.

In Australia, Queensland’s attorney-general announced last week that two bills would be tabled to close a legal loophole that allowed a driver with high levels of methamphetamine in her system to be acquitted of a drug-driving charge after a fatal 2022 crash. The victim’s husband, Steven Dennis, welcomed the reform, which would make the presence of meth an aggravating factor without requiring proof of impairment. A criminal law researcher at Griffith University cautioned that the zero-tolerance approach could penalise drivers with trace elements from prior use who are not actually affected.

In Florida, a judge has approved the release of Tiger Woods’ hospital and pharmacy records to prosecutors in his driving-under-the-influence case. Woods was arrested in March after his SUV struck a trailer and overturned on Jupiter Island. A Breathalyzer test showed no alcohol, but deputies reported finding two prescription painkillers in his pocket and noted signs of impairment. Woods refused a urine test, a decision that under implied-consent laws in most US states triggers automatic licence suspension. He has pleaded not guilty.

Investigations into the Texas and Nevada crashes remain active, and no final determinations have been issued. The Queensland legislation is expected to be introduced in parliament in the coming weeks.