• Federal authorities say a “critical safety gap” in Tesla’s Autopilot system contributed to at least 467 collisions, 13 resulting in fatalities.
  • The findings come from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analysis of 956 crashes in which Tesla Autopilot was thought to have been in use.
  • Tesla’s Autopilot design has “led to foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes,” the NHTSA report said.

The federal authorities released on Thursday that Tesla‘s Autopilot system had a “critical safety gap” that led to at least 467 collisions, 13 of which resulted in fatalities and “many others” in serious injuries. The results are based on an analysis conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on 956 crashes where Tesla Autopilot was suspected to have been used.

Blame at Autopilot

According to the NHTSA report, Tesla’s Autopilot design has “led to foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes.” Sufficiently ensure driver attention and appropriate use” was not what the system accomplished.”

A “weak driver engagement system” and Autopilot that continues to run even when a driver isn’t paying enough attention to the road or their driving task were mentioned in the NHTSA filing. The driver engagement system has in-cabin cameras that can recognize when a driver is not looking at the road, as well as a variety of prompts, such as “nags” or chimes, to remind drivers to stay focused and keep their hands on the wheel.

The agency also announced that it was initiating a fresh investigation into the efficacy of a software update that Tesla had previously released as a component of a recall in December. The NHTSA found flaws in Autopilot during this same investigation, which was the reason for the update.

NHTSA indicated in its report released on Friday that the software update was most likely insufficient, given that there are still being reported crashes connected to Autopilot.

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Restrict Autopilot feature

Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released a statement after the NHTSA report was made public, urging federal regulators to order Tesla to limit its Autopilot feature “to the roads it was designed for.”

Among a number of other cautions, Tesla advises drivers not to use the Autosteer feature of Autopilot “in areas where bicyclists or pedestrians may be present” on its Owner’s Manual website.

“We urge the agency to take all necessary actions to prevent these vehicles from endangering lives,” the senators said.