A driver travels hands-free in a Tesla Motors Inc. vehicle. Model S equipped with autopilot hardware and software in New York.
Christopher Goodney | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a “violent” accident that involved a Tesla sedan and a tractor trailer late last week in Detroit. Investigators have yet to say whether Tesla’s autopilot, FSD or FSD beta may have contributed to the crash.
The NHTSA said in a statement on Monday: “NHTSA is aware of the violent accident on March 11 in Detroit that affected a Tesla and a tractor trailer. We have launched a special accident investigation team to investigate the accident.” . Reuters previously reported the probe.
The Detroit police department said in an email that the crash occurred when a Tesla driven by “an unknown male driver” hit a semi-truck and “got stuck under the trailer.” A passenger in the car is in critical condition and the circumstances of the accident are still being investigated.
The NHTSA has already undertaken surveys in more than a dozen accidents that were believed to involve Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems.
These systems include Tesla’s standard autopilot package and a more advanced option marketed as Full Self-Driving, which sells today for $ 10,000. The company’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (or FSD) technology does not make Tesla vehicles safe for operation without a driver behind the wheel. Some customers who purchase the FSD option also have access to a “beta” version to test the newer features that are added to the system before all bugs are resolved.
Investigators have yet to say whether any of these systems were used during or just before the March 11 crash in Detroit. However, Tesla autopilot vehicles have collided with stationary objects and large vehicles, including tractor trailers and fire trucks, on several occasions.
A 50-year-old Jeremy Beren Banner of Lake Worth, Florida, died when his Model 3 autopilot hit the side of a semitrailer in Florida on March 1, 2019, causing the cut of the roof of his car as he passed underneath.
Tesla’s autopilot system, although it has changed significantly over the years, has been subject to regulatory scrutiny since 2016 when an owner named Joshua Brown died while driving his Tesla Model S with the committed autopilot in Gainsville, Florida. The vehicle also collided with a tractor trailer.
Another federal vehicle safety watchdog that makes recommendations to the NHTSA, the National Transportation Safety Board, recently called for clear and strict rules for federally automated driving systems. The board has pointed to Tesla’s focus on automated driving systems as a reason why stronger safety requirements and clear regulation are needed.