Tesla is making a big fuss about its autopilot.
But after several accidents, some of them serious, doubts about the performance of the system grow.
now the US Department of Transportation NHTSA is investigating.
Washington DC - The US Transportation Administration NHTSA has launched a comprehensive investigation into the Tesla driver assistance system ("autopilot"). It affects 765,000 vehicles in the United States. The reason for the procedure are eleven traffic accidents in which Tesla vehicles * drove into fire engines and ambulances parked on the roadside. According to the NHTSA, there was one death and 17 injured.
The emergency vehicles were clearly recognizable.
As the NHTSA announced on Monday (August 16), the flashing lights of the ambulance were switched on in all rear-end collisions.
At the same time, all Tesla vehicles drove with the "autopilot" system switched on.
According to the NHTSA, Tesla's systems were deficient in detecting emergency vehicles on the roadside.
Almost all vehicles that Tesla has sold with a driver assistance system since 2014 are affected by the investigation *.
Including the models Y, X, S and Model 3.
Tesla: Serious accidents time and again thanks to "Autopilot"
Tesla has been criticized for years for its driver assistance system.
The first investigations by the US traffic authorities were initiated in 2016.
Back then, a driver died after crashing his Tesla into a truck that was crossing the street.
According to the NHTSA, the "autopilot" functioned correctly within the scope of its capabilities, but the driver relied too much on the assistance system.
The most recent serious accident occurred in March.
In Texas, a Model S came off the road and hit a tree.
There were two deaths.
According to the local police, they were in the car at the time of the accident, but in the passenger seat and the back seat.
The "autopilot" had taken over the control of the car.
Tesla: Stricter security measures
Tesla rejects responsibility.
According to the operating instructions for the vehicles, the person in the driver's seat must keep their hands on the steering wheel and thus control the vehicle at all times.
It is well known that many Tesla drivers are not interested in it - for example, videos are circulating on the Internet again and again showing sleeping, drunk or distracted drivers who are only maneuvering on the autobahn thanks to the "autopilot".
To prevent cocky drivers from completely relinquishing control of their Tesla to the assistance systems, Tesla had already tightened safety measures in the past.
The software now emits warning tones as soon as the hands are taken off the steering wheel.
In addition, experts are calling for the camera in the interior to be used to monitor the driver in the future.
District Court Munich: "Autopilot" is not autonomous driving
The term "autopilot" is criticized.
This is an exaggeration that invites negligent use.
The next stage in the program, "Full Self-Driving", should not be called that, according to critics, as it continues to be an assistance system according to the criteria that are common in the industry.
Only recently, the Munich Regional Court banned the US automaker from advertising using the driving assistant because the system did not meet the requirements of autonomous driving.
For Tesla boss Elon Musk just another nuisance with the German bureaucracy.
* Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN-MEDIA
