Tesla driver blames self-driving mode for 8-vehicle Bay Bridge crash

[ad_1]

Tesla driver blames self-driving mode for 8-vehicle Bay Bridge crash

The driver of a 2021 Tesla Model S involved in an eight-vehicle crash last month on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge told police he was in Full-Self Driving (FSD) mode which malfunctioned, according to a police report released Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO — The driver of a 2021 Tesla Model S involved in an eight-vehicle crash on Thanksgiving Day on the Bay Bridge told police he was in Full-Self Driving mode, which malfunctioned, according to a CHP report obtained by Reuters.

The Nov. 24 crash on Interstate-80 near Treasure Island in San Francisco left two children with minor injuries and long delays on the bridge as families tried to get to their family gatherings.

Even though the Tesla driver told police the FSD had malfunctioned, the California Highway Patrol could not determine if the software worked or if his statement was accurate, according to the report which was made public after a request. from Reuters.

The police report says the Tesla driver made a dangerous lane change and was slowing to a stop, which led to another vehicle hitting him, causing a chain reaction of additional crashes. Citizen App video of the scene shows cars stacked on top of each other on the bridge’s lower deck.

The police report also stated that if the autonomous driving mode malfunctioned, the driver should have manually taken control of the car.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

On the day of the piling, Shayna Kelly of San Francisco told KTVU that she saw the Tesla suddenly swerve.

“He just made a sudden stop,” she said. “At that time, there was nowhere to go.”

Her young son, Kelvaughn Kelly, added: ‘A car nearly flew over us.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy questioned Tesla’s marketing of the feature as “fully autonomous driving” when she is unable to do so and said Tesla needs to do more to ensure that people don’t abuse this feature.

Chief Executive Elon Musk has touted Tesla’s comprehensive driving software as a potential financial boon for the world’s biggest electric carmaker. But Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems — and Musk’s claims about them — are under increasing legal, regulatory and public scrutiny.

Tesla also points out that “all Tesla vehicles require active driver supervision and are not self-driving”.

Reuters reports that Tesla is selling the $15,000 FSD software as an add-on, which allows its vehicles to change lanes and park autonomously. This complements its standard “Autopilot” feature, which allows cars to steer, accelerate and brake in their lanes without driver input.

Regardless of the technology, those who were there on the Bay Bridge said it was obvious something had gone wrong that day.

For Ron Streeter, it does not matter whether it is a human or technological error. It was just scary.

“I thought I was done for,” Streeter told KTVU after the pileup. “You see something like this coming towards you at full speed, I thought that was it.”

KTVU’s Brooks Jarosz contributed to this report.

[ad_2]