Tesla to Face US Agency Probe Into Two Crashes That Killed Motorcyclists

Tesla to Face US Agency Probe Into Two Crashes That Killed Motorcyclists

Federal officials are closely examining two accidents involving Teslas that were reportedly using Autopilot, and they highlight a potential new risk for motorcycle riders on American freeways: the semi autonomous cars may not stop for them. Teams from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration were dispatched to two accidents last month where Teslas and motorcyclists crashed on roads in the dark. Both ended in death.

The agency believes that each vehicle had been equipped with Tesla's partially automated driver-assist technology. The organization claims that after gathering more data, it may include the collisions in a larger investigation into Teslas colliding with emergency vehicles parked beside freeways. Additionally, the NHTSA is looking into more than 750 allegations that Teslas can brake suddenly.

On July 7, at 4:47 a.m., a motorcycle accident occurred on State Route 91, a motorway in Riverside, California. The high occupancy vehicle lane was being used by a white Tesla Model Y SUV as it moved east. According to a statement from the California Highway Patrol, a motorcyclist on a green Yamaha V-Star motorcycle was in front of it.

The vehicles eventually collided, causing the unnamed biker to fly out of the Yamaha. The Fire Department declared him dead there and then.

According to a CHP official, the matter of whether the Tesla was using Autopilot is still under review.

On July 24, about 1:09 a.m., a second collision occurred on Interstate 15 close to Draper, Utah. Behind a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was also traveling in an HOV lane was a Tesla Model 3 vehicle. The Utah Department of Public Safety issued a prepared statement stating, "The driver of the Tesla did not notice the motorcyclist and collided with the back of the motorbike, which flung the rider from the bike."

The rider, Landon Embry, 34, of Orem, Utah, passed away there and then. According to the statement, the Tesla driver admitted to turning the autopilot feature of the car on to the police.

NHTSA should recall Tesla's Autopilot since it does not recognize motorcyclists, emergency vehicles, or pedestrians, said Michael Brooks, acting executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety.

According to Brooks, "it's quite obvious to me, and it should be to a lot of Tesla owners by now, that this stuff isn't operating well, it won't live up to the expectations, and it is endangering innocent people on the roads."

According to agency records, the NHTSA has dispatched teams to 39 accidents where automated driving systems may have been involved. 30 of those involved Teslas, including collisions that resulted in 19 fatalities.

Brooks chastised the organization for carrying on with its investigation while doing nothing. He questioned, "What the hell are they doing when these crashes keep happening?" "Drivers are being misled into believing that this will keep them and other road users safe, but it simply does not work."

Musk's devices no longer employ radar and only rely on cameras and computer memory. According to Brooks and other safety advocates, the absence of radar impairs nighttime vision.

Tesla, which has dissolved its media relations division, was contacted for comment.

According to Tesla, both Autopilot and "Full Self-Driving" cannot operate independently, thus drivers must always be prepared to take over.

In a June interview, the newly appointed NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff stated that the organization is stepping up its efforts to comprehend the risks presented by autonomous vehicles in order to determine what rules may be required to protect motorists, passengers, and pedestrians. Neither self-driving cars nor those with partially automated driver-assist systems like Autopilot are specifically covered by any federal legislation.

The organization also asserts that the technology has significant promise for lowering road accidents.

Additionally, the NHTSA has mandated that all automakers and tech firms using automated driving systems disclose all collisions. The initial set of data, which was made public by the EPA in June, revealed that 273 crashes involving Teslas were among the nearly 400 reported over a ten-month period. However, it advised against doing so, noting that Tesla's telematics allow it to acquire data much more quickly than other businesses thanks to real-time data collection.

Tesla's Autopilot maintains vehicles' lane separation and distance from other moving vehicles. The business is also testing "Full Self-Driving" software, which is intended to drive a route autonomously under human supervision, employing a small group of owners. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, claims that eventually, the vehicles will be able to drive themselves, opening the door to a fleet of robotaxis that will increase Tesla's revenue. Musk had promised to have the robo-taxis operating by 2020 in 2019.

He stated that "Full Self-Driving" is significantly better and that he anticipates making the software available to all owners who request it by the end of the year at the company's annual shareholders meeting on Thursday.

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