The federal government is stepping up its investigation into more than a dozen Tesla autopilot crashes that crashed into emergency vehicles. The probe is now referred to as “Engineering Analysis”, which is the second and final phase of an investigation before a possible withdrawal.
This next phase will involve additional testing and crash analysis “to explore the extent to which autopilot and associated Tesla systems can aggravate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of driver supervision.” tell the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in documents posted on its website Thursday.
Exploring how autopilot can “exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks”
The NHTSA is also expanding the number of Tesla vehicles that could be affected by the investigation, from 765,000 to 830,000. The probe covers Tesla Models S, X, 3 and Y vehicles that were launched from 2014 to 2021.
The agency is investigating 16 accidents in which Tesla owners using the autopilot crashed into stationary emergency vehicles, injuring 15 and killing one. Most of these incidents took place in the dark, with software ignoring scene control measures such as warning lights, flares, cones, and an illuminated arrow board.
The investigation first began in August 2021. Since then, the NHTSA has requested information from Tesla and 12 other automakers about its Level 2 driver assistance systems, in which the vehicle can simultaneously control steering, braking and acceleration on specific road types. .
The agency is looking for mileage data as well as accident reports. Separately, the NHTSA is also collecting accident data from a larger group of companies that manufacture driver assistance systems and fully autonomous vehicles.
In its preliminary report, the NHTSA said most accidents involved emergency vehicles that would have been visible to the average driver eight seconds before the crash. “On average in these accidents, the autopilot aborted control of the vehicle less than a second before the first impact,” the agency reports.
Read the full report here: