American Regulators Initiate Inquiry into Self-Driving Tesla Vehicles After Series of Collisions
American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple crashes.
Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches
The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.
This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to public safety.
Alarming Incident Reports
The agency reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while using the system.
NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.
The authority reported that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.
Additional Safety Concerns
The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.
Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended actions as the car was approaching a red light”.
Ongoing Official Examination
The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.
In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.
Company's Official Stance
Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”
Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with current implementations.
