Tesla Crash Resulting in Woman's Death Under Federal Investigation
A Texas Tesla crash that killed a woman has prompted the NHTSA to launch a formal investigation into the incident and the vehicle's automated driving technology.
The U.S. auto safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has initiated a formal investigation into a fatal crash involving a Tesla that occurred on June 19 in Texas. This inquiry was announced on Monday following the incident in which a Tesla driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a residence.
According to local police reports, the accident took place around 8 PM local time when the driver of a Tesla Model 3 veered off the road. The vehicle struck a house at high speed, resulting in severe injuries to a woman inside, who later died from her injuries.
Police stated that the driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. However, he claimed that his Tesla was operating with an 'automated driving assistance system' when the accident occurred. The police report indicated that the driver 'failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence.'
An NHTSA spokesperson confirmed that they are launching a special crash investigation into this incident, which is described on their website as the most thorough form of inquiry conducted by the agency. These investigations often focus on emerging vehicle technologies to collect data that can enhance overall automotive safety.
While the investigation itself does not aim to impose immediate penalties on the manufacturer, it could result in safety recalls or other regulatory actions. Tesla markets its automated driving system as 'full self-driving (assisted),' a term that has faced criticism for being potentially misleading regarding the technology's actual capabilities.
Earlier this year, the NHTSA expanded its investigation into Tesla's full self-driving technology due to concerns about its performance in adverse weather conditions. In light of this recent crash, Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to the NHTSA urging the agency to closely examine the safety risks associated with Tesla's FSD technology.
The senators expressed concern that Tesla's claims regarding the safety of its FSD system compared to human driving were based on misleading data analyses. They highlighted issues such as comparing different types of crash outcomes and relying on incomplete data, and they called for greater transparency from car manufacturers using autonomous driving technologies.
Other companies, including Google (which owns Waymo) and Uber, are also testing and deploying vehicles that can operate without human drivers. Recently, Waymo issued a recall for thousands of its vehicles in Texas due to concerns about their ability to navigate flooded roads.
