Autopilot lacked adequate safeguards to detect if driver was paying attention while feature was engaged
Investigation due to concerns from post-remedy crash events and preliminary NHTSA tests of remedied vehicles
NHTSA opens investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system after recall of over 2 million vehicles
Recall affected nearly all Tesla vehicles sold in the U.S.
In recent news, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system following a recall of over 2 million cars in December to fix a safety issue. This action comes after the NHTSA identified concerns due to post-remedy crash events and results from preliminary NHTSA tests of remedied vehicles. The recall affected nearly all Tesla vehicles sold in the U.S. at the time and was implemented after regulators flagged a safety issue in its autopilot system. Despite its name, Autopilot is not a fully autonomous driving mode and requires a human driver's oversight. NHTSA found that Autopilot lacked adequate safeguards to detect if the driver was paying attention while the feature was engaged, calling it
NHTSA completed ‘an extensive body of work’ which found Tesla’s driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities.
Accuracy
,Of the remaining crashes (467), there were many (211) where Tesla’s frontal plane struck another vehicle or obstacle with adequate time for an attentive driver to respond.
Tesla tells drivers to pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the wheel while using Autopilot, but NHTSA and other safety groups have said that these warnings and checks do not go far enough.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The author makes an appeal to authority by stating that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found evidence of misuse and fatal crashes related to Tesla's Autopilot system. However, the author does not explicitly state that NHTSA made this determination due to logical fallacies in Tesla's arguments or statements. Therefore, this appeal to authority does not constitute a fallacy on its own but can be considered a potential indicator of an issue.
]The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed a long-standing investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system after reviewing hundreds of crashes involving its misuse, including 13 that were fatal and ‘many more involving serious injuries.’[
NHTSA said its investigation reviewed 956 reported crashes up until August 30, 2023. In roughly half (489) of those, the agency said either there ‘was insufficient data to make an assessment,’ the other vehicle was at fault, Autopilot was found to not be in use or the crash was otherwise unrelated to the probe.
NHTSA criticized Tesla’s data in one of the supporting documents. ‘Gaps in Tesla’s telematic data create uncertainty regarding the actual rate at which vehicles operating with Autopilot engaged are involved in crashes. Tesla is not aware of every crash involving Autopilot even for severe crashes because of gaps in telematic reporting.’
Bias
(95%)
The author uses language that depicts Tesla's Autopilot as having 'permissive operating capabilities' and a 'weak driver engagement system', implying a criticism of the technology. He also states that the mismatch between drivers' expectations and the system's true capabilities led to foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes, which could be seen as an accusation of bias on Tesla's part. The author does not provide any evidence or quotes from Tesla to support these assertions.
NHTSA said its investigation reviewed 956 reported crashes up until August 30, 2023. In roughly half (489) of those, the agency said either there ‘was insufficient data to make an assessment’, the other vehicle was at fault, Autopilot was found to not be in use or the crash was otherwise unrelated to the probe. But 467 crashes fell into three buckets: many (211) crashes where ‘the frontal plane of the Tesla struck another vehicle or obstacle with adequate time for an attentive driver to respond to avoid or mitigate the crash’, 145 crashes involved ‘roadway departures in low traction conditions such as wet roadways’, and 111 of the crashes involved ‘roadway departures where Autosteer was inadvertently disengaged by the driver’s inputs.’
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed a long-standing investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system after reviewing hundreds of crashes involving its misuse, including 13 that were fatal and ‘many more involving serious injuries.’
This mismatch resulted in a critical safety gap between drivers’ expectations of [Autopilot’s] operating capabilities and the system’s true capabilities.
In March 2023, a North Carolina student was struck by a Tesla Model Y while the driver was using Autopilot.
Tesla issued a voluntary recall for an over-the-air software update to add more warnings to Autopilot, but safety experts say it is inadequate and still allows for misuse.
Elon Musk insists that Tesla’s vehicles are safer than human-driven cars and plans to unveil a robotaxi this year that will usher in the era of fully autonomous vehicles.
Accuracy
Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving were linked to hundreds of crashes, dozens of deaths.
NHTSA investigated 956 crashes involving Tesla vehicles from January 2018 to August 2023, resulting in 49 injuries and 29 deaths.
Drivers using Autopilot or Full Self-Driving were not sufficiently engaged in the driving task.
In 59 crashes examined by NHTSA, drivers failed to brake or steer to avoid hazards despite having enough time to react.
Deception
(30%)
The article makes several statements that imply or claim facts without providing links to peer-reviewed studies which have not been retracted. For example, the author states 'hundreds of injuries and dozens of deaths' and '14 deaths and 49 injuries' but does not provide any references or citations for these claims. Additionally, the article uses emotional manipulation by describing in detail the tragic death of a teenager who was struck by a Tesla vehicle while using Autopilot. The author also selectively reports information, focusing only on crashes involving Tesla vehicles and ignoring similar incidents with other automakers.
hundreds of injuries and dozens of deaths
14 deaths and 49 injuries
Fallacies
(50%)
The author makes an appeal to authority by citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report on Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. However, the author also presents new information not directly from the report, such as Elon Musk's insistence that Autopilot will lead to fully autonomous cars and Tesla's response to the investigation. This introduces bias into the article and lowers its score.
]The Tesla driver was using Autopilot, the automaker’s advanced driver-assist feature that Elon Musk insists will eventually lead to fully autonomous cars.[
NHTSA says that in many cases, drivers would become overly complacent and lose focus.
Even the brand name Autopilot is misleading, NHTSA said.
Tesla agreed to a recall of 2 million cars equipped with Autopilot following investigations and deadly crashes
December’s recall followed investigations identifying at least eight fatal or serious crashes on roads where Autopilot was not designed to be used
Accuracy
]NHTSA identified concerns due to post-remedy crash events and results from preliminary tests of remedied vehicles[
Tesla disputed the agency’s criticisms but added alerts to remind drivers to pay attention while using the automated driving system
Parts of Tesla’s fix required drivers to opt in and could be easily reversed according to NHTSA
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author focuses on the potential issues with Tesla's Autopilot system and the NHTSA's concerns without providing a balanced perspective. The author also uses phrases like 'deadly crashes' and 'grim earnings report' to evoke an emotional response from readers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a new review of Tesla’s Autopilot system, signaling apprehension that the automaker did not do enough to remedy the regulator’s concerns for driver safety with its recall of 2 million cars equipped with the system in December.
At least one fatal accident has involved a Tesla using Autopilot on a road with cross traffic, for which the car’s manual says it is not designed.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new review early Friday.
NHTSA is investigating whether Tesla properly handled a recall of over 2 million cars in December to fix a safety issue in its Autopilot system
The investigation is due to ‘post-remedy crash events and results from preliminary NHTSA tests of remedied vehicles’
The recall affected nearly all Tesla vehicles sold in the US at the time, totaling 2,031,220 units
Accuracy
]The investigation is due to 'post-remedy crash events and results from preliminary NHTSA tests of remedied vehicles'[, 'The recall affected nearly all Tesla vehicles sold in the US at the time, totaling 2,031,220 units'][
Tesla tells drivers to pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the wheel while using Autopilot
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