Feds are investigating Tesla ‘Full Self-Driving’ crashes in reduced visibility

1 month ago 23

NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode (FSD) implicit the anticipation of crashes successful reduced roadway visibility conditions. The bureau is opening the probe aft noting 4 reports of incidents similar that, including 1 past November successful Rimrock, AZ, wherever a Model Y struck and killed a pedestrian, arsenic reported by TechCrunch.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified 4 Standing General Order (SGO) reports successful which a Tesla conveyance experienced a clang aft entering an country of reduced roadway visibility conditions with FSD -Beta oregon FSD -Supervised (collectively, FSD) engaged.

In these crashes, the reduced roadway visibility arose from conditions specified arsenic prima glare, fog, oregon airborne dust. In 1 of the crashes, the Tesla conveyance fatally struck a pedestrian. One further clang successful these conditions progressive a reported injury.

The probe calls retired vehicles with FSD available, including the 2016-2024 Model S and Model X, 2017-2024 Model 3, 2020-2024 Model Y, and 2023-2024 Cybertruck.

NHTSA says the Preliminary Evaluation volition assess:

- The quality of FSD’s engineering controls to observe and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions;

- Whether immoderate different akin FSD crashes person occurred successful reduced roadway visibility conditions and, if so, the contributing circumstances for those crashes; and

- Any updates oregon modifications from Tesla to the FSD strategy that whitethorn aﬀect the show of FSD successful reduced roadway visibility conditions. In particular, this reappraisal volition measure the timing, purpose, and capabilities of immoderate specified updates, arsenic good arsenic Tesla’s appraisal of their information impact.

NHTSA’s announcement of this valuation comes a week aft Tesla revealed a caller driverless Cybercab robotaxi vehicle.

Another origin is Elon Musk’s insistence that machine vision-based self-driving systems are the mode forward, calling sensor-based systems “doomed” and “a fool’s errand” compared to Tesla’s camera-based FSD. Meanwhile, robotaxi companies similar Waymo use suites of sensors, including lidar, cameras, and radar for self-driving vehicles, and different automakers see lidar and radar for their operator adjunct features.

Read Entire Article