US Investigates Crashes Involving Tesla Cars Using ‘Autopilot’

 

The U.S. government is investigating a series of crashes involving Tesla cars that were using the American automaker's driver assistance systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said this week it had identified 11 crashes involving Tesla models that struck emergency vehicles that were parked on the road. Those accidents resulted in one death and 17 injuries.

Three of the 11 crashes took place in California, while others were in Florida, Texas, Massachusetts and other states. The four latest crashes happened in 2021, including one in July.

The NHTSA said it had confirmed that the Tesla cars involved were using either the company's Autopilot or Traffic-Aware Cruise Control systems just before the crashes. Both systems use a series of cameras and sensors² to assist drivers.

Tesla says its Autopilot system is designed to permit full self-driving capabilities³. But the company says when using this tool, drivers should still keep their hands on the steering⁴ wheel and be ready to take control if the system fails to work.

When turned on, Autopilot requires drivers to agree to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. The system also includes sensors to identify pressure on the steering wheel and issues warnings if it thinks the driver is not holding the wheel.

The company's Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is designed to keep the vehicle at similar speeds as surrounding traffic.

The NHTSA said most of the accidents took place after dark. But it noted⁵ that the parked emergency vehicles used safety measures, such as flashing lights, flares⁷ or road markers.

The agency said the investigation⁸ will cover 765,000 Tesla vehicles. That number includes nearly every vehicle the company has sold in the U.S. since the start of the 2014 model year.

The NHTSA announced it had begun its investigation in documents published online.

Tesla has not officially commented. Telsa chief Elon Musk⁹ has repeatedly defended the Autopilot system. In April, he tweeted that Tesla vehicles using Autopilot were "now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than (an) average vehicle."

The agency closed an earlier investigation into Autopilot in 2017 without taking any action. After its new investigation, the NHTSA could decide again to take no action. Or it could demand a vehicle recall, which could place limits on how, when and where Autopilot operates.

In a statement to the French press agency AFP, an NHTSA spokesperson said the agency wants the public to know that "no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves."

The spokesperson noted that driver assistance programs can improve safety, help drivers avoid accidents and reduce the severity of crashes. But the spokesperson added that, "as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly."

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said Autopilot was operating in at least three deadly Tesla crashes in the U.S. since 2016. It has criticized Tesla's lack of system safeguards for Autopilot, and NHTSA's failure to take steps to ensure the safety of the system.

The chair of the NTSB, Jennifer Homendy, praised the NHTSA's new investigation. She said the board has urged the agency to develop standards for driver assistance systems. It has also called for requirements for automakers to use "system safeguards that limit the use of automated¹¹ vehicle control systems to those conditions for which they were designed."

Jason Levine, head of the nonprofit Center for Auto¹ Safety, also welcomed the new investigation. He said the NHTSA had finally answered longstanding calls "to investigate Tesla for putting technology on the road that will be foreseeably misused¹² in a way that is leading to crashes, injuries, and deaths." Levine added that he thinks the investigation should be expanded to include crashes beyond those just involving emergency vehicles.

Words in This Story

park – v. to leave a vehicle in a particular place for a period of time

steering – n. the controlling of a vehicle in one direction or another

flash – v. to shine brightly and suddenly

flare⁶ – n. a piece of safety equipment that produces a bright signal

approach – v. to come close in distance or time

recall – v. to order the return of something

commercial – adj. relating to buying and selling things

automate¹⁰ –v. to use machines and computers instead of people to do something

foreseeable – adj. as far in the future as you can imagine

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

3 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

7 flares   

n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开

参考例句：

• The side of a ship flares from the keel to the deck. 船舷从龙骨向甲板外倾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation. 他是火爆性子，一点就着。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

10 automate   

v.自动化；使自动化

参考例句：

• Many banks have begun to automate.许多银行已开始采用自动化技术。
• To automate the control process of the lathes has become very easy today.使机床的控制过程自动化现已变得很容易了。

11 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

12 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》