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The federal government’s top auto safety agency has launched an official investigation. Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system due to growing concerns that he may not be able to see parked emergency vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was aware of the situation. 11 accidents since 2018 When Tesla vehicles operating under autopilot control crash into fire trucks, police cars and other vehicles with flashing lights standing on the roads. Seven of these accidents resulted in a total of 17 injuries and one death.
“Many of the incidents occurred after dark, and the crash scenes encountered included crime scene control measures such as first responder vehicle lights, flares, a lighted arrow board and road cones,” NHTSA said in a summary of the investigation.
The agency said it will look at how Autopilot keeps Tesla drivers paying attention to the road. The company’s manuals instruct drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel, but Autopilot continues to operate even if drivers only touch the steering wheel occasionally.
General Motors has a similar system called Super Cruise that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel but uses an infrared camera to monitor drivers’ eyes to make sure they’re looking at the road.
NHTSA will also review how Autopilot identifies objects on the road and where Autopilot can be turned on. Tesla tells drivers to only use the system on divided roads, but they can also use it on city streets. GM’s system uses GPS positioning to restrict oncoming or oncoming traffic on major highways without intersections, pedestrians or cyclists.
The research will look at Tesla Models Y, X, S and 3 for model years 2014 through 2019.
NHTSA has launched an investigation into more than two dozen accidents involving Tesla cars and Autopilot. The agency said it included eight accidents that resulted in a total of 10 deaths.
Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, dismissed safety concerns about Autopilot, claiming that the system makes their cars safer than others on the road. However, the company acknowledged that the system can sometimes fail to recognize stopped emergency vehicles.
Safety experts, videos posted on social media, and Tesla drivers have documented some of Autopilot’s weaknesses. In some crashes involving the system, Tesla drivers were found to be asleep or awake at the wheel, but were distracted or disengaged. A Californian man was arrested in May Leaving Tesla’s driver’s seat While on Autopilot; He was sitting in the back of his car as he crossed the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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