U.S. safety agency opens probe into Tesla's Autopilot after series of crashes

U.Southward. prophylactic agency opens probe into Tesla'south Autopilot after series of crashes

Tesla model 3 that got into an accident on the highway. -- Cropped

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot driver-assistance arrangement afterward a series of crashes.

The NHTSA, according to the Associated Press, is looking into 11 crashes that have taken place since 2018 in which a total of 17 people were injured and one was killed.

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In these instances, the Tesla vehicles were in Autopilot mode, an assisted-driving manner that'southward meant to have the car partly navigate itself while recognizing surrounding traffic, highway lines and other potential hazards.

Information technology's not the type of futuristic autopilot that allows drivers to fall comatose at the wheel and let the car completely take over the driving. That can be confusing given the feature's proper noun.

Most of these Tesla crashes took place after dark, with some involving flashing lights on emergency vehicles, lit road flares or illuminated pointer boards — all things that could conceivably confuse a high-tech car'due south navigation systems.

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety on the nation's roadways," an NHTSA spokesperson told Tom'southward Guide.

"In keeping with the agency'south cadre safety mission and to amend empathize the causes of certain Tesla crashes, NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into Tesla Autopilot systems and the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist, and enforce the driver's engagement with driving while Autopilot is in use."

According to the AP, there are 765,000 Teslas on U.S. roads that have autopilot capabilities activated. (Autopilot comes with all new Teslas, just cars built before September 2014 can pay to have it activated, according to the Tesla website.) The NHTSA is investigating all Tesla Models S, 3, 10 and Y vehicles produced between 2014 and 2021.

"NHTSA reminds the public that no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves," said the NHTSA spokesperson. "Every available vehicle requires a human driver to exist in control at all times, and all State laws hold human drivers responsible for operation of their vehicles."

Autopilot should just exist used under ideal conditions

At the moment, the National Transportation Safe Lath (NTSB), a dissimilar authorities agency that investigates transportation accidents, is recommending that Tesla drivers limit Autopilot employ to areas where they know it can safely be operated.

The NTSB is as well calling on Tesla to create better systems to ensure drivers are paying attention. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports found that information technology was very easy to fool Tesla's Autopilot. Tesla has since appear that the camera in the rearview mirror will be used to make sure drivers are awake.

In 2019, a driver in Delray Embankment, Florida was killed when his Tesla Model 3 in Autopilot struck a semi-truck that was crossing the road. The machine, nor the driver, braked. Some other crash earlier this twelvemonth was also blamed on Tesla's Autopilot due to a crossing semi-truck.

Interagency squabbling

Earlier this year the NTSB chosen out the NHTSA for lax rules regarding autonomous-driving technology. The NTSB said that the NHTSA failed to put in safeguard and pressure automakers to ensure these systems work properly.

"We believe that the Section of Transportation (DOT) and NHTSA must human activity offset to develop a strong condom foundation that will support the framework envisioned for automatic vehicles (AVs)of the future," said the NTSB in a letter.

"The foundation should include sensible safeguards, protocols, and minimum performance standards to ensure the prophylactic of motorists and other vulnerable road users."

The AP attempted to contact Tesla for comment, but the visitor disbanded its PR section late last year.

Tesla and CEO Elon Musk say that anyone enabling Autopilot must still exist fully engaged because the software is nevertheless in development, and there are many real-world variables that the system may not be able to fully business relationship for.

Even so, that hasn't stopped people from posting videos online of them acting irresponsibly with Autopilot engaged. In one video, a TikTok star was comfortably sleeping with blankets and a pillow while on Autopilot.

Some of the cases the NHTSA is investigating involves Tesla's crashing into emergency vehicles that are parks on the side of the road.

There'south no word on if the NHTSA will as well look into Tesla's newer Full Self Driving Mode, which takes over even more than duties from the driver, including changing lanes, making turns and parking.

More than: Crashed Teslas just got a new lease on life — here'southward how

Imad Khan is news editor at Tom's Guide, helping direct the mean solar day'due south breaking coverage. Prior to working at the site, Imad was a full-fourth dimension freelancer, with bylines at the New York Times, the Washington Post and ESPN. Exterior of piece of work, you can detect him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.