Just over two million Tesla cars are being recalled in the US so that additional security measures may be installed to stop the advanced driving assistance system, Autopilot, from being abused.
For more than two years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been looking into whether Tesla vehicles, which are owned by billionaire Elon Musk, sufficiently ensure that drivers pay attention when utilizing the driver assistance system.
The software system controls on Autopilot, according to Tesla, “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse.”
Earlier this year, Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson told Reuters that driver monitoring systems must include the fact that people tend to overtrust technology.
Tesla added that to further incentivize drivers to uphold their ongoing driving responsibilities whenever Autosteer is activated, it will roll out an over-the-air software upgrade that will add more controls and alarms to those that are already present on impacted vehicles.
In August 2021, the government initiated an investigation into Autopilot after detecting over twelve incidents in which Tesla automobiles collided with stationary emergency vehicles. According to the NHTSA, Tesla issued the recall as a consequence of their research, finding that the autopilot system’s distinctive design may not provide sufficient usage controls or driver interaction, which might result in predictable system misuse.
Though upgraded Autopilot can help with lane changes on highways, it does not transform automobiles into autonomous vehicles. Tesla’s Autopilot is designed to allow cars to steer, accelerate, and brake autonomously inside their lane.
Separately, the NHTSA has started over thirty-six special collision investigations into Tesla since 2016. In these incidents, where driving systems like Autopilot were suspected of being deployed, 23 crash deaths have been reported.
According to the NHTSA, there may be a higher chance of a collision when the system is activated but the driver does not retain control over how the car is driven, is ill-prepared to stop, or is unable to tell when the system has been canceled.
Autopilot has been under NHTSA investigation since August 2021. While it tracks how well Tesla’s treatments are working, the agency’s probe will stay open.
According to the agency, the update will be implemented by the firm for 2.03 million Model S, X, 3, and Y automobiles.
A request for comment from the most valuable automaker in the world was not immediately answered. Shares of the company were down 1% in premarket trading.
In 2017, the NHTSA concluded its previous Autopilot investigation without taking any further action. Tesla has come under fire from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for lacking Autopilot system protections, and the NHTSA has been criticized for failing to guarantee Autopilot safety.
NHTSA:
Part of the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an organization of the federal government of the United States that oversees traffic safety throughout the country.
As part of the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) system, NHTSA is tasked with creating and enforcing rules for motor vehicle fuel efficiency and theft resistance in addition to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The first standard to go into effect on March 1, 1967, was FMVSS 209. The NHTSA issues licenses to car manufacturers and importers, controls the import of cars and safety-regulated car parts, manages the vehicle identification number (VIN) system, creates the anthropomorphic dummies and test protocols used in U.S. safety testing, and offers information on how much auto insurance will cost. State regulatory bodies like the California Air Resources Board have contested the agency’s claim of preemptive regulatory jurisdiction over greenhouse gas emissions.
49 CFR 571 contains the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for the United States. The CFR has additional federal automobile rules in other places. The National Centre for Statistics and Analysis maintains several data files, including the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS), where technicians examine a random sample of police crash reports, and others, which contain information about motor vehicle crashes. This is another activity carried out by the NHTSA.