Two fatal Tesla crashes are being investigated by investigators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Reuters reported that NHTSA recently launched a special investigation into a fatal accident in California in which a Tesla driver killed a pedestrian. and an agency spokesperson confirmed ledge That an accident that occurred in Florida on July 6 is also being investigated.
The accident occurred in Florida on Interstate 75 south of Gainesville, where a Tesla vehicle collided with the back of a stationary tractor-trailer parked at a truck stop. According to Fox 35, two people were killed inside the Tesla, the driver and a passenger. An NHTSA spokesperson said the agency was aware of the accident and was currently communicating with Tesla about it.
The Florida Highway Patrol told Fox 35 that the vehicle crashed into the truck for “unknown reasons.” A spokesman for the patrol did not immediately respond to questions.
NHTSA is currently investigating 16 accidents in which Tesla owners using Autopilot crashed into stationary emergency vehicles, resulting in 15 injuries and one death. Most of these incidents occurred after dark, with software ignoring visual control measures, including warning lights, flares, cones and an illuminated arrow board. The probe was recently upgraded to an “engineering analysis,” the second and final stage of the investigation before a possible recall.
Tesla tops the government’s list of vehicle accidents that happen when using active driver-assistance features that automakers argue to make driving safer. Tesla’s numbers were much higher than other companies, most likely due to the fact that it sells more vehicles equipped with Level 2 systems than its rivals. Tesla also collects real-time telematics data from its customers, giving it a much faster reporting process.
According to NHTSA, from July 20, 2021 to May 21, 2022, there were 273 accidents in Tesla vehicles using Autopilot. EV company accidents represent the majority of the total 392 accidents reported during that period.
The first person killed while using Tesla Autopilot was Joshua Brown, when his Tesla Model S collided with a tractor-trailer crossing his way on US Highway 27A near Williston, Florida in 2016. Three years later, another Tesla owner, 50-year-old Jeremy Byrne Banner, was also killed on a Florida highway under similar circumstances: his Model 3 collided with a tractor-trailer that crossed its path, chopping off the roof in the process. was doing. Banner was also using the autopilot.
In the past, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has blamed Autopilot-related accidents on driver overconfidence. “When there’s a serious accident, it’s almost always, in fact probably always so, that it’s an experienced user, and the issue is decency,” Musk said in 2018.