Tesla Autopilot Investigation: NHTSA Probes Crashes with Emergency Vehicles

Tesla Autopilot Under Investigation Following Crashes

U.S. automotive regulators have initiated a preliminary investigation concerning Tesla’s Autopilot advanced driver assistance system. This action stems from 11 reported incidents where vehicles collided with stationary first responder vehicles while Autopilot was actively engaged.

Details of the Incidents

Investigation documents released by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirm that the Tesla vehicles involved had either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control enabled during the collisions. A majority of these incidents occurred during nighttime conditions.

Notably, the crashes happened despite the presence of established “scene control measures.” These included flashing emergency lights, road cones, and illuminated arrow boards designed to direct traffic away from the incident area.

Scope of the Investigation

The investigation will focus on evaluating the technologies and methodologies Tesla employs to monitor driver engagement. It will also assess how the system assists and enforces driver attention during Autopilot operation.

Approximately 765,000 Tesla vehicles are included in the scope of this investigation. This encompasses all currently available models, specifically the Model Y, Model X, Model S, and Model 3.

Casualties and Timeline

The 11 incidents resulted in a total of 17 injuries and, tragically, one fatality. These events took place over a period spanning from January 2018 to July 2021.

Previous Scrutiny of Tesla Autopilot

This is not the first instance of NHTSA examining Tesla’s Autopilot system. A prior investigation was conducted in 2017 following a fatal crash in 2016. However, the EV manufacturer was ultimately found not to be at fault in that particular case.

Since then, NHTSA has investigated an additional 25 crashes involving Tesla’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), as reported by the Associated Press.

Recent ADAS Reporting Requirements

In June, NHTSA mandated that automakers report crashes involving vehicles equipped with ADAS or those operating at Levels 3-5 of automated driving systems.

NHTSA’s Stance on Autonomous Driving

An agency spokesperson emphasized to TechCrunch that currently, no commercially available motor vehicles possess the capability of fully driving themselves.

Tesla’s Response

TechCrunch attempted to obtain a comment from Tesla, but the company has previously dissolved its media relations department. The story will be updated should a response be received.

Calls for Enhanced Safety Standards

Following the announcement of the formal investigation, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety issued a statement. They are advocating for the implementation of “minimum performance standards” for vehicles equipped with ADAS.

Legislative Efforts

The group is urging legislators to advance a series of “commonsense safety measures.” This includes requiring the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish safety standards for ADAS.

These proposed standards were initially included in the House version of the infrastructure bill. However, they were subsequently removed from the $1.2 trillion bill that was ultimately approved by the Senate on August 10.

“As the legislative process for the infrastructure package and reconciliation continues, we urge the Biden Administration and Congress to move forward with the safety advances in the INVEST in America Act,” the group stated.