NHTSA said in a notice on Thursday that it was expanding its preliminary evaluation of Tesla Autopilot systems to an engineering analysis
This means that NHTSA will extend its existing crash analysis, evaluate additional data sets and perform vehicle evaluations as well as evaluate
Autopilot and associated Tesla systems may exacerbate human factors or behavioural safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver’s supervision
The escalation is a critical and required step before NHTSA can issue a recall. An estimated 830,000 Tesla vehicles are involved in the probe, according to agency documents.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement from NHTSA, the agency issued a reminder
Every available vehicle requires the human driver to be in control at all times, and all State laws hold the human driver responsible for the operation of their vehicles
Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur