THIRTY Tesla crashes including 10 deaths linked to assisted driver system are being investigated by U.S. safety agency
Investigations are now ongoing into 30 Tesla crashes involving 10 deaths linked to the cars' assisted driver system, a U.S. auto safety regulator has revealed.
Autopilot safety has received new attention after a fiery April 17 crash that killed two men in Texas in which police had said they believed no one was behind the wheel.
Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a list - seen by Reuters - offering details about crashes under review by its Special Crash Investigations programs.
The spreadsheet shows NHTSA has opened eight investigations into Tesla crashes since March alone, and 30 in total - 10 of which resulted in fatalities.
NHTSA had already confirmed that it was investigating the Texas crash, saying in May it was '100 per cent sure' no one was driving the 2019 Tesla Model S.
Investigations have been opened into 30 Tesla crashes involving 10 deaths since 2016 where advanced driver assistance systems were suspected of use, U.S. auto safety regulators said on Thursday. Pictured: The remains of a Tesla vehicle are seen after it crashed in The Woodlands, Texas, April 17, 2021 that caused the issue to gain new attention
The issue has gotten new attention after a fiery April 17 crash (pictured) that killed two men in Texas in which police had said they believed no one was behind the wheel
The National Transportation Safety Board said in May that testing suggested the vehicle's automated steering system was 'not available' on the road where the accident occurred
The Tesla smashed into a tree and burst into flames, resulting in the deaths of the two men - the car's owner Doctor William Varner, and his pal Everette Talbot.
Police had said it was apparent that there was no one in the driver's seat at the time of the crash in the wealthy The Woodlands neighborhood of Houston, on April 17.
But Tesla had refuted the police claims, saying a deformed steering wheel suggested that someone was likely in the driver's seat.
Varner, 59, and Talbot, 69, both died in the fatal crash when the Tesla Model S - bought second-hand off eBay in January - smashed into a tree and burst into flames.
The car's batteries burned for four hours afterwards.
Another fatal crash on May 5 near Los Angeles is also under investigation by the agency. In that case, the driver had posted images on social media of himself 'driving' his Tesla without his hands on the wheel.
The Model 3 Tesla crashed into an overturned Mack truck, and the driver - later identified as Steven Michael Hendrickson, a 35-year-old from Running Springs - was pronounced dead on the scene.
The crash happened on the 210 Freeway near Fontana, California - about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.
The agency had not previously released a full tally of all Tesla crashes investigated where Tesla's Autopilot system was suspected of being involved.
The wreckage of the white Tesla Model 3 is seen in aerial footage in Los Angeles, May 5
Steven Michael Hendrickson, 35, was killed when his Tesla Model 3 struck an overturned semi about 2.30am. He posted numerous photos of his Tesla Model 3 to social media in 2020, showing his hands not on the wheel
Tesla driver, 35, killed in crash previously shared shared videos of himself driving car without his hands on the wheel or foot on its pedal, investigators have said
Of the 30 Tesla crashes, NHTSA has ruled out Tesla's Autopilot in three and published reports on two of the crashes.
Autopilot was operating in at least three Tesla vehicles involved in fatal U.S. crashes since 2016, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported.
In the case of the Texas crash, The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in May that testing suggested the vehicle's automated steering system was 'not available' on the road where the accident occurred.
The NTSB has criticized Tesla's lack of system safeguards for Autopilot, which allows drivers to keep their hands off the wheel for extended periods.
Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters news agency to a request for comment.
The agency first sought a full list from NHTSA more than a year ago under a public records request. The list only includes the state and month the crashes occurred.
Previously, NHTSA said it had opened 28 special crash investigations into Tesla crashes, with 24 pending. The spreadsheet shows a February 2019 crash where Autopilot use was undetermined.
On Wednesday, Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell cited Tesla crashes as the panel voted against moving ahead with regulations to speed the adoption of self-driving cars.
'It seems like every other week we're hearing about a new vehicle that crashed when it was on Autopilot' Cantwell said.
Separately, NHTSA has conducted no new tests after it withdrew its designation last month that some newer Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles as having four advanced safety features after the automaker said it was removing radar sensors to transition to a camera-based Autopilot system.
The agency said Thursday that after discussions with Tesla it restored the lane departure warning designation after Tesla confirmed the technology was unaffected.
![The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a list offering details about crashes under review by its Special Crash Investigations programs. Pictured: A Tesla logo is seen in Los Angeles [file photo]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/06/18/12/44383739-9698801-image-a-13_1624015315559.jpg)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a list offering details about crashes under review by its Special Crash Investigations programs. Pictured: A Tesla logo is seen in Los Angeles [file photo]
NHTSA said in a statement it has 'not yet finalized the list of Model Year 2022 vehicles' for testing.
When it comes to laws governing autonomous vehicles, the US is made up of a patchwork of legislation that varies state-by-state, but currently, nowhere in the US is it strictly illegal to own and operate a totally self-driving vehicle.
Some states, however, have enacted law regulating or authorizing them, but no state has out-right banned them.
So far twenty-nine states—Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin and Washington D.C. have enacted legislation related to autonomous vehicles.
In a Feb. 1 letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt urged the department to enact regulations governing driver-assist systems such as Autopilot, as well as testing of autonomous vehicles.
NHTSA has relied mainly on voluntary guidelines for the vehicles, taking a hands-off approach so it won´t hinder development of new safety technology.
Sumwalt said that Tesla is using people who have bought the cars to test 'Full Self-Driving' software on public roads with limited oversight or reporting requirements.
'Because NHTSA has put in place no requirements, manufacturers can operate and test vehicles virtually anywhere, even if the location exceeds the AV (autonomous vehicle) control system´s limitations,' Sumwalt wrote.
He added: 'Although Tesla includes a disclaimer that `currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous,´ NHTSA´s hands-off approach to oversight of AV testing poses a potential risk to motorists and other road users.'
NHTSA, which has authority to regulate automated driving systems and seek recalls if necessary, seems to have developed a renewed interest in the systems since President Joe Biden took office.
Of the 30 Tesla crashes, NHTSA has ruled out Tesla's Autopilot in three and published reports on two of the crashes. Pictured: Elon Musk, Tesla's founder and CEO
In spite of billions of dollars spent thus far, automakers have yet to produce a vehicle with full autonomy.
Tesla's system has reached Level 2 autonomy under the scale of the Society of Automotive Engineers, still a ways from full autonomy and requiring a person in the driver's seat who can take control if necessary.
California regulators have said they are reviewing whether Tesla's marketing misleads consumers - specifically, whether it has violated a regulation that 'prohibits a company from advertising vehicles for sale or lease as autonomous unless the vehicle meets the statutory and regulatory definition of an autonomous vehicle,' the Department of Motor Vehicles told AFP news agency.
The spreadsheet also notes NHTSA has opened six other investigations into six other crashes involving driver assistance systems, including two involving Cadillac vehicles in which there were no reported injuries.
The other four include two involved a 2012 Lexus RX450H and 2017 Navya Arma in which there were no reported injuries.
The remaining two involved 2017 Volvo XC90 vehicles, including an Uber Technologies self-driving test vehicle that struck and killed a woman in Arizona in 2018.
Uber made a series of development decisions that contributed to the crash's cause and deactivated the automatic emergency braking systems in the Volvo XC90 vehicle, safety investigators found.
