Safety of Tesla's Autopilot feature questioned: may have caused 17 deaths and 736 accidents
NHTSA reminds consumers that despite driver assists, it is important that the human is "fully engaged" in driving the car.
(Flickr - SoulRider.222)
The driver assistance system feature of Tesla, the company founded by Elon Musk, could be to blame for more than 700 accidents and 17 deaths.
According to a partial report released in June 2022 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Autopilot in Tesla's cars was responsible for about three fatalities. However, a more recent report shows that deaths and serious injury accidents have been on the rise, with a total of 736 incidents and 17 fatalities recorded.
One of the accidents involved a Tesla Model Y that struck a 17-year-old teenager as he was getting off a school bus. The car was apparently on autopilot and never slowed down despite the stop sign and flashing lights on the bus. Although the teenager survived the crash, he had to be placed on a ventilator and suffered a broken neck and leg. Apparently, the young man has suffered from memory problems and continues to have difficulty walking.
Overhaul of thousands of cars
In February of this year, Tesla had more than 362,000 cars serviced because the system was experiencing errors with driver assistance thanks to the Beta version of the Full Self-Driving(FSD) software. "FSD Beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash," NHTSA stated.
The models affected by this error are: the Tesla S, Tesla Y, Tesla X and Tesla 3, all manufactured between 2016 and 2023, which according to Electrek, are among the top 10 best-selling electric cars in 2022.
Autopilot requires human control
Veronica Morales, an NHTSA spokeswoman, reported that inquiries about vehicle autopilot and fully autonomous driving are being made. "NHTSA reminds the public that all advanced driver assistance systems require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times. Accordingly, all state laws hold the human driver responsible for the operation of their vehicles," added Morales.
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