The agency suspects that Tesla's partially automated
driver-assist system was in use in each. The agency says that once it gathers
more information, it may include the crashes in an broader probe of Teslas
striking emergency vehicles parked along freeways. NHTSA also is investigating
over 750 complaints that Teslas can brake for no reason.
The first crash involving a motorcyclist happened at 4:47
a.m. July 7 on State Route 91, a freeway in Riverside, California. A white
Tesla Model Y SUV was traveling east in the high occupancy vehicle lane. Ahead
of it was a rider on a green Yamaha V-Star motorcycle, the California Highway
Patrol said in a statement.
At some point, the vehicles collided, and the unidentified
motorcyclist was ejected from the Yamaha. He was pronounced dead at the scene
by the Fire Department.
Whether or not the Tesla was operating on Autopilot remains
under investigation, a CHP spokesman said.
The second crash happened about 1:09 a.m. July 24 on
Interstate 15 near Draper, Utah. A Tesla Model 3 sedan was behind a
Harley-Davidson motorcycle, also in an HOV lane. “The driver of the Tesla did
not see the motorcyclist and collided with the back of the motorcycle, which
threw the rider from the bike,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a
prepared statement.
The rider, identified as Landon Embry, 34, of Orem, Utah,
died at the scene. The Tesla driver told authorities that he had the vehicle's
Autopilot setting on, the statement said.
Michael Brooks, acting executive director of the nonprofit
Center for Auto Safety, called on NHTSA to recall Tesla's Autopilot because it
is not recognizing motorcyclists, emergency vehicles or pedestrians.
“It's pretty clear to me, and it should be to a lot of Tesla
owners by now, this stuff isn't working properly and it's not going to live up
to the expectations, and it is putting innocent peole in danger on the
roads," Brooks said.
Since 2016, NHTSA has sent teams to 39 crashes in which
automated driving systems are suspected of being in use, according to agency documents.
Of those, 30 involved Teslas, including crashes that caused 19 deaths.
Brooks criticized the agency for continuing to investigate
but not taking action. “What the Hell are they doing while these crashes
continue to occur?" he asked. “Drivers are being lured into thinking this
protects them and others on the roads, and it's just not working.”
Musk has eliminated use of radar from his systems and relies
solely on cameras and computer memory. Brooks and other safety advocates say
the lack of radar hurts vision in the darkness.
Messages were left seeking comment from Tesla, which has
disbanded its media relations department.
Tesla has said that Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” cannot
drive themselves, and that drivers should be ready to intervene at all times.
In a June interview, new NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff
said the agency is intensifying efforts to understand risks posed by automated
vehicles so it can decide what regulations may be necessary to protect drivers,
passengers and pedestrians. There are no federal regulations that directly
cover either self-driving vehicles or those with partially automated
driver-assist systems such as Autopilot.
The agency also says the technology holds great promise of
reducing traffic crashes.
NHTSA also has ordered all automakers and tech companies
with automated driving systems to report all crashes. The agency released the
first batch of data in June showing that nearly 400 crashes were reported over
a 10-month period, including 273 with Teslas. But it cautioned against making
comparisons, saying that Tesla's telematics allow it to gather data in real
time, much faster than other companies.
Tesla's Autopilot keeps cars in their lane and a distance
behind other vehciles. The company also is using selected owners to test “Full
Self-Driving” software, which is designed to complete a route on its own with
human supervision. Eventually, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the cars will drive
themselves, enabling a fleet of autonomous robotaxis that will boost Tesla's earnings.
In 2019, Musk had pledged to have the robo-taxis running in 2020.
He said at the company's annual shareholders' meeting
Thursday that “Full Self-Driving” is greatly improved, and he expects to make
the software available by the end of the year to all owners who request it.
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