Rewritten Article:
Federal authorities have highlighted a “critical safety gap” within Tesla’s Autopilot system, stating that it has contributed to at least 467 collisions resulting in thirteen fatalities and numerous serious injuries. The findings were published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) following an almost three-year investigation into 956 crashes where Tesla’s Autopilot was thought to have been engaged.
The NHTSA report claimed that the design of Autopilot had “led to foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes”, adding that it did not sufficiently ensure driver attention or appropriate use. The agency also revealed plans for a new investigation into the effectiveness of software updates previously issued by Tesla as part of a recall in December, which was intended to address Autopilot defects identified during this same probe.
The voluntary recall via an over-the-air software update covered 2 million Tesla vehicles across America and aimed to improve driver monitoring systems on cars equipped with the feature. However, NHTSA suggested that these updates were inadequate as more crashes linked to Autopilot continue to be reported.
In a recent example of an accident attributed to the use of Autopilot, a Tesla motorist collided fatally with a biker on April 19th in Snohomish County, Washington, according to reports obtained by CNBC and NBC News. The driver stated that they were using Autopilot at the time of impact.
This latest report is just one among several regulatory and watchdog investigations which have raised concerns about Tesla’s autonomous driving technology – marketed as a crucial difference between their cars and those produced by competitors. In response to these incidents, US senators Edward J Markey (D-Mass.) And Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) issued an announcement urging federal authorities to prevent the company from limiting Autopilot functionality “to roads it was created for” given continued fears around life threatening impacts in high hazard regions such as city streets, roundabouts and crosswalks.
In its Owner’s Manual section of their website, Tesla warns drivers not to use the autosteering feature of Autopilot “in areas where bicyclists or pedestrians may be present”, among other warnings. Following this latest report from NHTSA, Markey and Blumenthal have called for immediate action by regulatory bodies in order to prevent further loss of life as a result of the technology’s use on public roads.
Earlier this month Tesla settled a lawsuit brought against them by relatives of Walter Huang – an Apple engineer who died when his Model X with Autopilot features engaged hit a highway barrier. The company has also sought to keep details surrounding that settlement confidential from the general public view.
Despite these incidents, CEO Elon Musk remains confident in Tesla’s ability to deliver self-driving vehicles and promised investors during an earnings call this week that they would be able to turn existing cars into autonomous driving systems using only software updates. In previous years, Musk has repeatedly stated – without any third party review of the company’s data – that “Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle.”
Philip Koopman, an automotive safety researcher and Carnegie Mellon University associate professor of computer engineering has expressed concerns about Tesla’s marketing claims around the technology. He also hopes that the company will take NHTSA’s recommendations seriously moving forward by automatically restricting Autopilot use to intended roads based on existing maps or improving monitoring in order to prevent drivers from being distracted whilst operating self-driving cars – measures he considers vital steps which could reduce road fatalities.
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