Tesla semi-autonomous driving’anxiety and anxiety’… Another accident in the US

Input 2021.03.18 14:10

“Investigation of more than 12 autopilot-related accidents by the US Bureau of Road Traffic Safety”

Another Tesla car accident occurred in Michigan, USA while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a recent Tesla crash. Model Y hit a police car at a stop, and it is said that the’autopilot’, a semi-autonomous driving function, was in operation at the time of the crash.

According to foreign media such as CNBC on the 17th (local time), Tesla Model Y crashed into a police car while Michigan State police investigated an accident in which a deer collided with another vehicle at 1:12 am. According to the police, the driver’s driver’s license was suspended, and Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving function’autopilot’ was in operation at the time of the accident. It was reported that neither the police nor the driver were injured. NHTSA did not directly comment on the accident, but foreign media reported that it is investigating more than a dozen accidents related to autopilot.

The most recent accident being investigated is the crash between a Model 3 and a tractor trailer in Detroit, Michigan on the 11th. At 3:20 am, the Model 3 ignored the red light and hit the tractor trailer through an intersection, and, under the trailer, dragged a considerable distance until the car stopped. At the time of the accident, the Model 3 was accompanied by a male driver and a female passenger, and both were hospitalized, and it was said that female passengers in particular were in critical condition.

Accordingly, NHTSA said in a statement that “a special crash investigation team was formed to investigate the’terrible’ collision between Tesla and the tractor trailer.” Detroit police said it was suspected that the Model 3 had not slowed down before the crash, and that it did not suddenly change direction and slow down before the accident was suspected to be an autopilot malfunction. NHTSA and Detroit police are investigating the vehicle’s data.

Tesla vehicles equipped with autopilots have previously collided with static objects, tractor trailers, and large vehicles such as fire trucks several times.

There was a similar accident in 2019. In Lake Worth, Florida, a Model 3 struck the side of a trailer, laying the vehicle underneath, torn the roof, and the driver eventually died.

In 2018, an Apple engineer died while riding a Model X while running an autopilot on the California highway. Model X ignited after hitting a road separator in a section of Silicon Valley on the south side of Highway 101 and colliding with two other vehicles in a chain.

The U.S. Federal Transportation Safety Commission (NTSB) reported that the Model X driver used the autopilot function until the accident, but suddenly the function did not work properly. The survivors have filed a lawsuit for damages against Tesla.

Tesla is currently selling an autopilot package that includes an option called Full Self-Driving (FSD) for $10,000. Regarding FSD, beta testing is in progress ahead of the official release in the second quarter.