Regulators investigate Tesla autopilot problems after collisions with emergency vehicles

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DETROIT (AP) The US government has opened a formal investigation into Teslas Autopilot’s partially automated driving system after a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles.

The investigation covers 765,000 vehicles, nearly all Tesla has sold in the US since the start of model year 2014. Of the incidents identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of the probe, 17 people were injured and one died.

NHTSA says it has identified 11 incidents since 2018 where Tesla on autopilot or traffic-aware cruise control hit vehicles in scenes where first responders used flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow, or hazard warning cones . The agency announced the action Monday in a post on its website.

The probe is another sign that NHTSA under President Joe Biden is taking a tougher stance on automated vehicle safety than previous administrations. Previously, the agency was reluctant to regulate the new technology for fear of hindering the adoption of potentially life-saving systems.

The survey covers Tesla’s full range of current models, the Y, X, S and 3 models from 2014 to 2021.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which also studied some of Tesla’s accidents dating back to 2016, recommended that NHTSA and Tesla limit the use of autopilots to areas where they can operate safely. The NTSB also recommended that the NHTSA require Tesla to have a better system for making sure drivers pay attention. NHTSA took no action on any of the recommendations. The NTSB has no executive powers and can only make recommendations to other federal agencies.

Last year, the NTSB blamed Tesla, drivers and NHTSA lax regulation for two collisions in which Tesla crashed under the articulated lorry intersection. The NTSB took the unusual step of accusing the NHTSA of contributing to the crash for failing to make sure automakers put in place safety measures to restrict the use of electronic driving systems.

The agency made the decisions after investigating a 2019 accident in Delray Beach, Florida, in which the driver of a 50-year-old Tesla Model 3 was killed. The car was driving on autopilot when neither the driver nor the autopilot system braked or tried to avoid a tractor-trailer crossing in its path.

We are pleased to see the NHTSA finally acknowledges our long-standing request to investigate Tesla for putting technology on the road that is predictably misused in a way that is leading to accidents, injuries and deaths, Jason said. Levine, executive director of the Nonprofit Center. for Auto Safety, an advocacy group. If anything, this probe must go far beyond accidents involving first aid vehicles because the danger is to all drivers, passengers and pedestrians when the autopilot is activated.

Autopilot was often misused by Tesla drivers, who were caught driving drunk or even driving in the back seat as a car rolled along a California highway.

A message was left early Monday seeking comment from Tesla, who dissolved his media relations department.

NHTSA has sent investigation teams to 31 incidents involving partially automated driver assistance systems since June 2016. Such systems can keep a vehicle centered in its lane and a safe distance from vehicles in front. Of these incidents, 25 involved Tesla Autopilot in which 10 deaths were reported, according to data released by the agency.

Tesla and other manufacturers warn that drivers using the systems must always be ready to intervene. In addition to crossing semi-trailers, the Tesla cars using autopilot collided with stationary emergency vehicles and a road barrier.

The NHTSA probe is long overdue, said Raj Rajkumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University who studies automated vehicles.

Tesla’s inability to effectively monitor drivers to make sure they’re paying attention should be top priority in the probe, Rajkumar said. Teslas detect the pressure on the steering wheel to make sure drivers are busy, but drivers often cheat the system.

It’s very easy to get around the steering pressure, Rajkumar said. It has been running since 2014. We have been discussing it for a long time.

The emergency vehicle crashes cited by NHTSA began on January 22, 2018 in Culver City, California, near Los Angeles, when an autopilot Tesla struck a parked fire truck that was partially in the lanes. trip with flashing lights. The crews were handling another incident at the time.

Since then, the agency has said there have been incidents in Laguna Beach, California; Norwalk, Connecticut; Cloverdale, Indiana; West Bridgewater, Massachusetts; Cochise County, Arizona; Charlotte, North Carolina; Montgomery County, Texas; Lansing, Michigan; and Miami, Florida.

The survey will evaluate the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist and strengthen drivers’ engagement with dynamic driving activity during the autopilot operation, NHTSA said in its investigation papers.

In addition, the probe will cover the detection of objects and events by the system, as well as where it is allowed to operate. NHTSA says it will look into the circumstances that contributed to the incidents, as well as similar incidents.

An investigation could lead to a recall or other enforcement action by the NHTSA.

NHTSA reminds the public that no motor vehicle commercially available today is capable of driving alone, the agency said in a statement. Every available vehicle requires a human driver to be in control at all times, and all state laws hold human drivers accountable for the operation of their vehicles.

The agency said it has robust enforcement tools to protect the public and investigate potential security issues and will take action when it finds evidence of non-compliance or an unreasonable security risk.

In June, NHTSA ordered all car manufacturers to report any incidents involving fully autonomous vehicles or partially automated driver assistance systems.

Shares of Tesla Inc., based in Palo Alto, California, fell 3.5% on Monday’s opening bell.

Tesla uses a camera-based system, a lot of computing power, and sometimes radar to spot obstacles, determine what they are, and then decide what vehicles should do. But Carnegie Mellons Rajkumar said the company’s radar was plagued with false positive signals and would stop the cars after determining the flyovers were obstructions.

Now Tesla has eliminated radar in favor of cameras and thousands of images that the computer’s neural network uses to determine if there are objects on the road. The system, he said, does a great job on most objects that would be seen in the real world. But he had problems with parked emergency vehicles and perpendicular trucks in his path.

He can only find models he was trained on in quotes, Rajkumar said. Clearly the inputs the neural network has been trained on do not contain enough images. They are just as good as inputs and training. Almost by definition, training will never be good enough.

Tesla also allows select owners to test what it calls a complete autonomous driving system. Rajkumar said this should also be investigated.

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