Semi-autonomous driving system not at fault for the accident
Tesla’s Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system has been officially cleared by the NHTSA after an investigation was launched due a deadly crash in 2016 that involved a Model S sedan. According to a report from Bloomberg, the investigation found that the system wasn’t at fault in the accident, stating that the owner of the Model S ignored the automaker’s warning to stay alert and in control of the vehicle even with the system activated.
As a result of the investigation’s findings, the NHTSA will not issue a recall for Tesla’s Autopilot system. In a statement, Tesla said that it puts customers’ safety first and the automaker appreciates “the thoroughness of NHTSA’s report and its conclusion.”
Advocates of auto safety have continued to criticize Tesla for prematurely introducing its Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system and believed that the NHTSA could’ve taken more action in its investigation. “If a vehicle could not distinguish between a white truck and the sky, that to me would seem to be a defect,” said Joan Claybrook who was an NHTSA administrator under Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Critics also claim the name Autopilot is misleading and alludes to a system that is fully autonomous.
Bryan Thomas, a spokesman for the NHTSA, said in a statement to Bloomberg that active safety and semi-autonomous driving features aren’t made to address every single crash scenario. In the case of the Florida accident in 2016, the Model S‘ sensors failed to distinguish the sky from the trailer crossing in front of it, causing it to collide with the trailer. Thomas also noted that automakers need to design their autonomous driving aids with “inattentive drivers in mind” because not all drivers will remember that they still need to pay attention even with they systems activated.
Tesla, according to Thomas, was cooperative in the investigation and was able to take data from vehicles involved in accidents, which were then provided to the NHTSA.
Source: Motortrend