May still be,Tesla was uniquely risky
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Tesla’s Autopilot system played a role in crashes in the US that killed 29 people and injured 49 others between January 2020 and August 2023. Tesla drivers were not sufficiently engaged in driving task and Tesla’s technology didn’t adequately ensure that drivers maintained their attention on the driving task, NHTSA said.
The Worst Flaw Yet is the recall of the cybertruck over faulty pedals
Cybertruck is recalling all Model Year 2018 and 2019 Cybertrucks produced between November 13, 2023 and April 4, 2024 due to a faulty accelerator pedal that could lead to a collision. As per the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fault is estimated to be present in 100% of the vehicles. Cybertrucks are equipped with brake override technology.
It will be more difficult to misuse the autopilot because of the huge recall
The US safety agency NHTSA has said that it has dispatched investigators to 35 Tesla crashes since 2016 in which the agency suspect the vehicles were running on an automated system. “In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse,” NHTSA said.
Technology to stop drunk drivers could be coming to every new car
The US NHTSA on Tuesday proposed passive detection of drunk and impaired driving in cars, saying it could help end the problem of deaths due to traffic crashes in the country. Congress ordered the NHTSA to develop regulations requiring advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology in vehicles. The agency said that any technology that becomes standard will have to be passive.
The autopilot problem will be addressed with an update for every car sold in the US
Nearly all of Tesla’s new Model S, X, and 3 vehicles sold in US are getting a software update to fix a defect in the company’s Autopilot system. This comes after a two-year investigation by NHTSA showed that there may not be enough to prevent driver misuse when the system is engaged. The update includes additional controls and alerts.
California has ordered Cruise self-guided cars to be off the roads
Google’s self-driving startup Cruise has been ordered to cease operations in the US state of California after one of its self-driving cars struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco earlier this month. The DMV issued an indefinite suspension because of safety issues with the vehicles. This comes after the US NHTSA opened an investigation into Cruise citing pedestrian safety concerns.