The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a full-featured self-driving car (FSD) in relation to four crashes. The crash occurred in reduced visibility settings with beta or supervised versions of FSD enabled. In a November 2023 incident in Arizona, a Model Y struck a pedestrian, as notes. It was injured in one of three other collisions, which occurred between March and May this year and all involved Model 3s.
NHTSA says conditions such as sunlight, fog and airborne dust reduced visibility in these incidents. The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks at the FSD’s ability to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced road visibility conditions.” It will also try to determine if there have been other crashes in similar situations with FSD enabled. The ODI will also review any changes made by Tesla to the system “that may affect the operation of the FSD in conditions of reduced road visibility. In particular, this review will examine the timing, purpose and strength of any such updates, as well as Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact.”
In April, the NHTSA had hundreds of accidents in which Tesla’s Autopilot system was involved. It said 13 of those accidents killed people. The agency determined that, in many accidents, drivers were “not sufficiently engaged” and that “the warnings provided by Autopilot while Autosteer was engaged did not adequately ensure that drivers maintained their attention on the driving task.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week that the Model 3 and Model Y SUVs will be able to operate without supervision in California and Texas starting next year. At the same event, Musk, a two-seat robocab with no steering wheel or pedals that the company aims to start producing in 2027.
Tesla’s public relations department could not be reached for comment.
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