Federal authorities have uncovered a troubling revelation about Tesla’s Autopilot system that has raised serious concerns about the safety of the popular feature. According to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a critical safety gap in Tesla’s Autopilot system has been linked to at least 467 collisions, with 13 of them resulting in fatalities.
The NHTSA conducted a thorough three-year investigation into the crashes involving Tesla’s Autopilot system, ultimately finding that the design led to foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes. The agency noted that the lack of sufficient driver attention and appropriate use of the feature were contributing factors to the accidents.
Despite issuing a software update as part of a recall, the NHTSA determined that the fixes were ineffective in addressing the Autopilot defects, prompting the agency to open a new probe into the matter. Senators Edward J. Markey and Richard Blumenthal have called on federal regulators to restrict the use of Tesla’s Autopilot feature to certain roads in light of these findings.
Tesla has not provided a response to the NHTSA report or the concerns raised by lawmakers. CEO Elon Musk, who has championed autonomous driving technology as the future of the company, has not addressed the issues highlighted in the report.
In a troubling development, Tesla recently settled a lawsuit with the family of a man who died in a crash while using Autopilot features. Automotive safety researcher Philip Koopman has called on Tesla to take the NHTSA’s findings seriously and implement changes to improve safety in future models.
Despite Musk’s bold claims about the safety and capabilities of Tesla’s Autopilot system, the company has not allowed third-party review of its data. The revelations about the Autopilot system have raised questions about the future of Tesla’s technology and the company’s commitment to prioritizing safety.
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