Tesla autopilot linked to hundreds of accidents and dozens of deaths, NHTSA finds

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified significant problems with Tesla’s autopilot and full autonomous driving systems, linking them to numerous accidents and fatalities due to lack of driver engagement, The Verge reports.

In March 2023, a North Carolina student was getting off a school bus when he was struck by a Tesla Model Y traveling at “high speed,” according to a federal investigation released on Friday. The Tesla driver was using autopilot, an advanced driver assistance feature that Elon Musk says will eventually lead to fully autonomous cars.

The injured 17-year-old student with life-threatening injuries was airlifted to the hospital by helicopter. But the NHTSA investigation, which examined hundreds of similar accidents, found that driver inattention combined with Tesla’s technology deficiencies led to hundreds of injuries and dozens of deaths.

Drivers using the autopilot or a more advanced version of the system, FSD (Full Self-Driving), “were not sufficiently engaged in the driving process,” and Tesla’s technology “did not adequately ensure that drivers could focus their attention on the task at hand,” the NHTSA concluded.

The NHTSA’s comprehensive analysis covered 956 accidents from January 2018 to August 2023 involving Tesla’s automated driving features. Of these, 29 fatalities were recorded. Notably, 211 of these incidents involved the front end of a Tesla colliding with another vehicle or obstacle, resulting in 14 deaths and 49 injuries.

The NHTSA investigation was launched after several incidents in which Tesla drivers crashed into stationary emergency vehicles parked on the side of the road. Most of these incidents occurred in the dark, and the software ignored scene control measures, including warning lights, signal lights, cones, and arrow lights.

In its report, the agency found that the autopilot – and in some cases, FSD – was not designed to allow the driver to focus on driving. Tesla says it warns its customers to be careful when using Autopilot and FSD, which involves keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. But the NHTSA claims that in many cases, drivers became overconfident and lost focus. And when it came time to react, it was often too late.

In 59 crashes studied by the NHTSA, the agency found that Tesla drivers had enough time, “five seconds or more,” before colliding with another object to react. In 19 of these accidents, the danger was visible 10 seconds or more before the collision. After analyzing the accident logs and data provided by Tesla, the NHTSA found that in most of the accidents analyzed, drivers did not have time to brake or turn the steering wheel to avoid the danger.

“Crashes with no or late evasive action attempted by the driver were found across all Tesla hardware versions and crash circumstances,” NHTSA said.

The agency also noted that Tesla’s approach to Level 2 (L2) automation is markedly different from its peers, which may prevent drivers from taking an active role in driving. The situation is further complicated by Tesla’s use of the term “autopilot,” which, according to the NHTSA, is misleading, suggesting greater capabilities than the system provides. This has led to an investigation by the California Attorney General and the state Department of Motor Vehicles into potentially misleading marketing and branding by Tesla.

The NHTSA admits that the investigation may be incomplete due to “gaps” in Tesla’s telemetry data. This could mean that there are many more accidents related to Autopilot and FSD than what the NHTSA has been able to identify.

Late last year, Tesla voluntarily recalled its products in response to the investigation, releasing a wireless software update that added more warnings to the autopilot. Today, the NHTSA announced that it is launching a new investigation into the recall after a number of safety experts said the update was inadequate and still allows for abuse.

Despite these findings, Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to promote the safety and inevitable progress of autonomous cars. He claims that the data confirms a significantly lower accident rate for autonomous vehicles compared to human-driven cars, and sees the continued development of autonomous driving technology as a life-saving measure. Tesla is also moving ahead with plans to introduce a robotaxi service, which could potentially revolutionize its role as a leader in autonomous vehicle technology.