While the NHTSA has often been the butt of numerous jokes on this site - namely for failing to see what we believe to be the extraordinary obvious: that Autopilot and Full Self Driving are being beta tested on innocent drivers across major roadways in the U.S. - the agency is still in the midst of investigating Tesla to an extent many might not know.
Of the 30 investigations the NHTSA has opened into Tesla since 2016, Tesla's Autopilot has only been absolved of liability in three crashes, The Guardian notes.
The information comes after the NHTSA "released a list offering details about crashes under review by its special crash investigations programs." It marks the first time the agency released a full accounting of all Tesla crashes, and the status of their pending investigations.
The agency had previously said it opened 28 special crash investigations, with 24 pending. It has opened 8 investigations into Tesla crashes since March of this year, additional reporting from Street Insider notes.
Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell said Wednesday: "It seems like every other week we're hearing about a new vehicle that crashed when it was on Autopilot.”
Tesla has responded by stating it is going to use cabin cameras to detect and alert driver inattentiveness. “Cabin camera above the rearview mirror can now detect and alert driver inattentiveness while Autopilot is engaged,” Tesla said.
Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports had previously told TechCrunch: “Consumer Reports has been calling for camera-based driver monitoring systems for automation systems like Tesla’s Autopilot for years. Tesla’s current system of sensing torque on the wheel cannot tell if the driver is looking at the road. If the new system proves effective, it could help prevent distraction and be a major improvement for safety - potentially saving lives. We hope that other cars are updated soon and are looking forward to evaluating them.”
via zerohedge
The NHTSA Is Still Investigating Two Dozen Tesla Crashes Involving Autopilot
