🔗 Share this article

US automobile safety regulators have opened an probe into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.