Self-driving Tesla cars are being investigated by the NHTSA following a crash that killed a man driving his Model S in Florida. (Photo : Getty Images/Joe Raedle)
The National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration is now investigating all Tesla Motors Inc.'s vehicles that are equipped with autopilot technology following a crash that killed a 40-year-old man in May. The NHTSA, which is the United States' car safety regulator, has formally informed the electric vehicle company about the probe.
The accident happened on May 7 in Williston, Florida, killing Joshua Brown of Ohio. Brown had put his Model S vehicle on self-driving mode, which is supposed to control the car when driving on the highway. However, the car's sensors system failed to distinguish a white tractor trailer crossing the highway, and the car drove full speed under it.
According to The Guardian, the NHTSA wrote a letter to Tesla informing the electric car company that it had opened an inquiry into the accident. The letter stated that the crash that killed Brown, as well as two non-fatal accidents that have been reported this month, were alleged to have been caused by either of the self-driving car's two safety mechanisms -- the Forward Collision Warning (FWC) and the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) -- not working when expected.
Brown's was the first known death that was caused by a self-driving vehicle. However, the report, citing Tesla's statement, noted that the automaker tried to shift blame for the crash.
Tesla pointed out that among all vehicles in the U.S., there is a fatality every 94 million miles. But this particular incident, the automaker contended, was its first known autopilot fatality in the estimated 130 million miles driven by customers.
Tesla also explained that the accident appears to have happened because the autopilot mode, which is still in its testing phase, was unable to distinguish a white truck crossing the highway against the brightly lit sky. Tesla pointed out that neither the pilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against the bright sky, thus the brake was not applied.
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating the electric auto company for possible securities law breach when it failed to inform its investors about the May accident.
Tesla stressed that it alerted regulators to the accident soon after it happened, even when it had just started its own investigation and even if it had not yet determined that Brown put his car on autopilot mode at the time of crash. Tesla said that it informed the NHTSA of the crash sooner than the rules require.
However, according to the WSJ report, the SEC is trying to determine whether the automaker should have disclosed the crash as a "material" event through a formal regulatory filing. A material event is a development relating to a company that any significant investor would consider important.
Tesla's spokesperson claimed that the company has not received any communication from the SEC regarding the probe.
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