The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent letters to 12 automakers, including General Motors, requesting their assistance in the probe into the Tesla Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system.
According to Reuters, NHTSA is requesting data and other insights into how other OEM semi-autonomous active safety systems work in order to make a “comparative analysis” with other “production vehicles equipped with the ability to control both steering and braking/accelerating simultaneously under some circumstances.”
The safety watchdog is seeking for automakers to list crashes where an advanced driving assistance system was engaged “anytime during the period beginning 30 seconds immediately prior to the commencement of the crash.” It’s also looking for OEMs to share their own “strategies for detecting and responding to the presence of first responder/law enforcement vehicles,” when it comes to semi-autonomous driving systems.
NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla Autopilot after it received reports of 12 separate crashes involving emergency vehicles in which the system was engaged. The agency also linked 17 injuries and one death to these 12 crashes. The investigation includes all Tesla vehicles equipped with Autopilot that were built between the 2014 and 2021 model years and located in the United States.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk in 2016
Like GM’s own Super Cruise system, Autopilot enables the vehicle to accelerate, brake and steer within its lane on the highway, as well as change lanes. Super Cruise uses cameras to track the driver’s eyes and ensure they are paying attention to the road ahead, while Autopilot does not include a facial tracking system. A monitoring system such as this seems to be a central part of the probe, with NHTSA saying the investigation “will assess the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist, and enforce the driver’s engagement with the dynamic driving task during Autopilot operation.”
Tesla is required to provide NHTSA with crash data for the 12 accidents being investigated by October 22nd.
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Comments
why would other companies want to spend time/money fixing tesla’s problem?
The government is investigating to see what, if any, regulations need to be put on ADAS systems. Tesla lets customers use their A/P system almost anywhere, and in almost all conditions, which might need regulations to control. GM’s system is much more conservative, and only works in certain situation and on certain roads. Tesla A/P is the best at lane perception, and lane control, but far from perfect, and when customers abuse its capabilities, accidents and deaths have occurred.
I’ve driven Teslas before on auto pilot. I’m a huge Tesla fan, and would easily get a Model 3 performance if I didn’t order my CT4-V BW, but the auto pilot is nowhere close to what it should be. I wouldn’t bet my life on it at all lol. but it is Beta, so there’s that.
slamming into stationary vehicles is far from perfect… what an understatement.
Using ALL ADAS systems the driver is still fully responsible for the car, and has ultimate control authority at all times. If drivers out on the system too much and use it in ways it’s not intended then accidents happen.
Maybe Tesla should stop touting its inabilities as a selling point. Does that make purchasers of Tesla somehow less real-world intelligent, I don’t hear much about caddy’s or anything else for that matter slamming into emergency vehicles? With the millions of other things going on around a car, relying on an auto-pilot is asinine and maybe Elon should voice that truth.
I use my Autopilot quite often (not always as I love to Drive) and it is my responsibility to make sure everything is running safely.
It is literally the same thing as a Pilot using Autopilot on an Airplane. It is the Pilots responsibility to pay attention and make sure everything is running safe. Hence how Tesla got the Name of Autopilot for their system.
I’ll assume you don’t read, sleep, or sit in the back while cruising at 80 with a whole bunch of other cars all around you being driven by humans. The way it was originally marketed by Tesla has never really been refuted with anything but half measures because its part of the mythos of Elon. Airplanes aren’t 1ft away from each other with 10 pilots who’s training varies from a 2 hr learner permit to 70 years experienced ,all within 40 ft of each other. Auto pilot isn’t the same in any practical use on our roads and Tesla needs to actively admit that. Just drive, you are sitting there anyway.
Ya, I think you are on the right track… Technically tesla warns drivers about the capabilities and limitations, but then you see Elon drive a reporter with his hands off the wheel, and looking at the reporter. Elon has made this confusing, and likely thats where the government will have to put their foot down, and make Tesla re-educate the public, and add safety features.
Also Tesla FSD should be taken off the market, its useless tech so far.
Read the Definition of what Autopilot is….it is basically the same thing in a Tesla but for a Car.
Autopilot is NOT sit back take a nap and let the car drive you. Elon nor Tesla has never stated that is is.
Tesla (along with others) is hard at work at Full Self Driving but we shall see when that will become a reality. More so on the Government Approval front to be honest. Most think we could have Full Autonomy right now so long as Humans which are extremely unpredictable are not allowed to drive, but who wants that Lol
More importantly Elon has never said that it wasn’t auto pilot either, he just closed the customer relations department.
Most of whom? If we didn’t have weather? If we didn’t have potholes? If we had proper road maintenance? Almost all the company’s have the option safety package with all the toys that will do almost the same thing but they don’t have a mono-rail salesman running them.
It is Autopilot. Why would he say it is not?
Definition:
An aircraft autopilot (automatic pilot) system controls the aircraft without the pilot DIRECTLY operating the controls. Such system is developed to reduce the work load of human pilots in order to lessen their fatigue.
Basically it does the General operations while the Pilot (Driver) keeps an eye out and be ready to overtake if need be.
Not all companies have the Data that Tesla has. Data is King for software.
Anyone that has used Autopilot realizes how much more superior it is to others. Full Self Driving is different than Autopilot. But even FSD it is the Drivers responsibility to pay attention.
If NHTSA wants to assist, start handing out HUGE fines for Crashes that were caused due to the DRIVER NOT paying attention and taking over when they needed to.
The harsh reality is while have many automated system they are all far from fail proof.
Just look at all the Airbus systems that have taken and nearly taken planes out of the air.
Same with space craft and now automobiles.
For the automakers they are still learning snd it will take cooperation of all to improve these systems but in the end you still will need a driver engaged with the car.
Yo be honest automobiles in the public domain is a tougher situation than aircraft, space craft or construction vehicles. Just so any variables still needed to be found and addressed.
Many have done great damage to the aircraft industry. While tens of thousands of planes may take off, fly and land by computer pilots are in many cases losing the skills they need to take control. Neither the computer nor pilot is perfect but combined the odds are much greater than just relying on one.
Tesla just took their system too far and it needs to be drawn back a little till they can fix what is wrong.
While our users here claim to remain engaged we still have a great number of people out there that have trouble remaining engaged while driving let along overseeing a system driving.
The weakest link is the human in autonomous driving.
Let’s all stay on point here.
Seems Tesla’s main problem is its affinity to running into parked vehicles.
Is the human driver at fault for that?