In the USA, accidents involving Tesla cars, in which 2 motorcyclists died, are being investigated. Musk, however, says that the Full Self-Driving autopilot system has already been significantly improved.
Two fatal accidents involving cars Teslas that apparently operate in “autopilot” mode are drawing close attention from federal regulators, AP NEWS reports.
Also read: Tesla electric cars with autopilots threatened with seizure
They point to a new potential danger: partially automated cars may fail to stop for motorcycles.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has sent investigation teams into two crashes last month in which Teslas collided with motorcycles on freeways in the dark. Both accidents ended in death. The administration suspects that a partially automated driver assistance system was used in each case.
NHTSA says that after gathering more information, it may include these crashes in a broader investigation into Tesla collisions with emergency vehicles parked along freeways. In addition, NHTSA is also investigating more than 750 complaints that Tesla brakes for no reason.
Michael Brooks, acting executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, called on NHTSA to recall Tesla's “autopilot” because it does not recognize motorcyclists, emergency vehicles and pedestrians.
“It is absolutely clear to me, and it should be clear to many Tesla owners by now, that this device is not working properly, is not living up to expectations, and is putting innocent people at risk on the road,” Brooks said.
Since 2016 NHTSA sent teams to 39 crashes in which automated driving systems are believed to have been used, according to agency documents. 30 of them involved Tesla cars, including crashes that killed 19 people.
Tesla, for its part, said that the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems cannot drive the car on its own, and that drivers must be ready to intervene at any moment.
Tesla Autopilot keeps cars in their lane and a distance behind other cars. The company is also using individual owners to test its Full Self-Driving software, which is designed to drive a route independently under the supervision of a human.
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At the company's annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, Tesla owner Elon Musk said that the “Full Self-Driving” system Self-Driving” is greatly improved, and he hopes to have the software available to all owners who request it by the end of the year.
