[AutonomousVehicles] Federal Government Investigating Tesla Autopilot System

[Angela Daniel]

Thank you for sharing this information

On Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 5:16 AM Cornelius Butler via AutonomousVehicles <
autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hi Fellow Committee Members,
> It was just announced that the U.S. Government is investigating Tesla's
> autopilot self driving system.
> The article  link and full text are below.
>
> Article Link:
>
> https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/16/22626819/tesla-autopilot-crash-emergency-vehicle-probe-nhtsa
>
> Article Text:
>
> US government opens probe into Tesla Autopilot crashes with emergency
> vehicles
> 67
> Tesla’s software has well-known problems spotting parked emergency vehicles
>
> By James Vincent  Aug 16, 2021, 8:53am EDT
> Share this story
>
>
> The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a
> probe into Tesla’s Autopilot software, citing the cars’ repeated collisions
> with parked emergency vehicles.
>
> The NHTSA investigation will cover Tesla Models Y, X, S, and 3 vehicles
> released from 2014 through 2021. The federal agency says since 2018 it has
> logged 11 incidents (which include 17 injuries and one fatality) in which
> Tesla vehicles using the company’s Autopilot features, like Traffic-Aware
> Cruise Control, have crashed into stationary emergency vehicles. The agency
> says most of these incidents took place after dark, with the software
> ignoring scene control measures including warning lights, flares, cones,
> and an illuminated arrow board.
>
> The investigation will “assess the technologies and methods used to
> monitor, assist, and enforce the driver’s engagement with the dynamic
> driving task during Autopilot operation,” according to NHTSA’s notes.
>
> A spokesperson for the agency said that the investigation was in its
> preliminary stages and primarily concerned with uncovering additional
> information about the incidents. The spokesperson noted that the public
> should be aware that no commercially available cars are able to drive
> themselves, and vehicles always require a human in control at all times.
>
> The inability of driving-assistance software from Tesla and other
> automakers to spot parked emergency vehicles is well known. Experts told
> Wired in 2018 that the likely cause is that these systems are programmed to
> mostly ignore stationary objects, otherwise they might react to all sorts
> of items on the side of roads, from signs to buildings.
>
> Wired’s report notes that both Tesla and Volvo’s driving assist manuals
> warn drivers about this problem. As Tesla’s says: “Traffic-Aware Cruise
> Control cannot detect all objects and may not brake/decelerate for
> stationary vehicles, especially in situations when you are driving over 50
> mph (80 km/h) and a vehicle you are following moves out of your driving
> path and a stationary vehicle or object is in front of you instead.”
>
> The NHTSA has stepped up its scrutiny of Tesla in recent months as the
> company’s Autopilot software has been the focus of an increasing number of
> crashes. Many industry experts have criticized Tesla for its marketing of
> the software, which often suggests that human oversight of the vehicle is
> optional.
>
> In April, senators urged the NHTSA to take “corrective actions” against
> Tesla and prevent misuse of its driving-assist software, and in June the
> agency issued new rules requiring companies like Tesla and Alphabet’s Waymo
> to report all incidents involving such systems.
>
> Despite being less than a year old, DJI is updating its popular Mavic Air
> 2 drone and is releasing the Mavic Air 2S. A drone with a new 1-inch sensor
> capable of shooting 5.4K video and 4K video up to 60FPS.
>
> --
> Cornelius Butler
> President
> Butler New Media, LLC
> "Creating A More Accessible World"
> http://www.butlernewmedia.com
> email: corn at butlernewmedia.com
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