NHTSA Probes Latest Autopilot-related Tesla Crash

by Steph Willems

Published: May 17th, 2018

nhtsa probes latest autopilot related tesla crash

Last Friday’s crash of a Model S in South Jordan, Utah will get the magnifying glass treatment from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency announced Wednesday it will send a team of investigators to probe why the vehicle — which the admittedly distracted driver said was in Autopilot mode at the time of impact — collided with a stopped fire truck at 60 mph.

It’s the second NHTSA investigation of an Autopilot-related collision this year.

According to local police, witnesses claim the Model S did not attempt to brake as it approached the back of the fire truck, stopped at a traffic light. The 28-year-old driver reportedly suffered a broken foot in the crash.

At the time of the daylight collision, light rain was falling and the roadway was wet.

“NHTSA will take appropriate action based on its review,” the agency said Wednesday. While the NHTSA can order a recall if it uncovers a safety defect in the course of its probe, Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system — which carries a warning for drivers to stay alert and keep their hands on the wheel — complicates the matter. Does a danger posed by misuse of a potentially fallible feature warrant a recall? We’ll have to wait and see.

At the very least, the public should know why the vehicle’s radar and camera combo didn’t recognize the approaching truck, or, if they did, why the vehicle didn’t take evasive action.

The NHTSA hasn’t yet released a preliminary report for the other recent incident — a March collision in Mountain View, California that claimed the life of an Apple employee. In the aftermath of that crash, Tesla and the National Transportation Safety Board found themselves at loggerheads. The feds later turfed Tesla from the investigation for publishing details of the crash.

A recent non-Autopilot-related crash of a Tesla Model S in Florida, which led to the deaths of two teens, is also the focus of an NHTSA probe.

Ever since the Mountain View crash, Musk and Tesla have doubled down on Autopilot safety claims, but the statistic used to illustrate the system’s life-saving abilities is attracting a growing list of detractors.

[Source: Automotive News] [Image: Tesla]

#Crash #Investgation #NHTSA #Tesla

Steph Willems

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Incautious on May 17, 2018

This just in: Tesla technicians recovered data from the vehicle and found that the driver repeatedly cancelled and then re-engaged features of Autopilot. The vehicle registered more than a dozen instances of her hands being off the steering wheel in this drive cycle, according data retrieved by Tesla technicians. On two such occasions, she had her hands off the wheel for more than one minute each time and her hands came back on only after a visual alert. Are you Fing kidding me! Time to recall these car and disable this feature. This Bimbo put so many lives in danger, and Musk every time he open his piehole only emboldens his kool aid drinkers.

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- Vvk on May 17, 2018
  
  You are misinterpreting the evens. She did nothing wrong, according to this. What she did wrong was she failed to KEEP HER EYES on the road ahead. This could be about 99.99% of Tesla drivers. When on autopilot, vast majority do not touch the wheel. Besides, I really doubt Tesla can detect fingers touching the wheel. They can only detect WEIGHT on the wheel. I know because I deal with this every day driving my Tesla.
  
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- Sirwired on May 17, 2018
  
  @vvk The "vast majority" of Tesla drivers do not, in fact, follow the instructions that they should be able to intervene as quickly as they would without Autopilot? You better let Elon know, because Tesla seems to take pains to point out the lack of hands on the wheel every single time, including this one. If it's an expected behavior, then why does Tesla mention it every time they blame the driver for an AutoPilot crash?
  
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- Vvk on May 17, 2018
  
  @sirwired Elon knows for sure because he also drives that way. We all saw it during his recent CBS interview. Also he knows that vast majority of owners understand that they have to take responsibility for their actions behind the wheel. If the driver does not pay attention, all bets are off. It has nothing to do with holding the wheel.
  
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- Sirwired on May 17, 2018
  
  @vvk Again, if it's utterly irrelevant if the driver is holding the wheel, and "Elon knows for sure" it's not necessary, why does Tesla take care to emphasize that in these Autopilot crashes that the driver keeps letting go of the wheel? Either it is important (and therefore Elon should be setting a good example and driving his cars like his disclaimers say he should), or it isn't (and they should stop mentioning it in their press releases blaming the driver for Autopilot failures.)
  
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- Conundrum on May 17, 2018
  
  @vvk The driver not paying attention is completely irrelevant and beside the point. Which is, why does this half-a*sed system sometimes NOT sense large stationary or almost stationary objects in its path and give out an alarm? Then apply the brakes? Whether the stupid texter ostensibly driving is quick enough to react to the warning is one thing. Not being warned at all is the real problem. Or are you merely being deliberately obtuse?
  
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Incautious on May 17, 2018

This could be about 99.99% of Tesla drivers. When on autopilot, vast majority do not touch the wheel. Besides, I really doubt Tesla can detect fingers touching the wheel. They can only detect WEIGHT on the wheel. I know because I deal with this every day driving my Tesla. Well then I guess you are a very lucky guy that it wasn't you wife and kids in that cross walk instead of that HUGE fire truck.

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- Vvk on May 17, 2018
  
  The autopilot would not stop for the crosswalk. The driver would have to take over.
  
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- Incautious on May 17, 2018
  
  @vvk The autopilot would not stop for the crosswalk. The driver would have to take over. And by then the pedestrians in the cross walk would be nothing but a big red smear, because said Tesla driver would be watching her phone, or movie or whatever the else the Idiot Tesla driver is doing INSTEAD OF WATCHING THE ROAD.
  
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- Kalvin Knox on May 17, 2018
  
  @incautious +1
  
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