Tesla: Reported 273 car crashes with “smart” driver assistance systems

The Tesla car industry reported 273 vehicle collisions since last July, with the involvement of the use of driving assistance systems. This is the largest number of incidents of any other car industry, according to data released yesterday by the competent supervisory authorities. Overall such accidents in the US (regardless of car industry) approaching 400.

Vehicle manufacturers and technology companies have reported more than 500 incidents since June 2021, when the U.S. Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an order requesting details of the incident. Two senators called for an in-depth investigation into the “autonomous driving” industry, and a road safety committee ruled that the data had not been standardized, making it difficult to assess the actual performance of each manufacturer’s system.

Car companies are rushing to integrate driver-assisted vehicle control systems, arguing that these systems improve safety by handling some driving maneuvers. For their part, the relevant services try to understand the practical result of the attempted changes.

However, manufacturers collect data in different ways, making it difficult for competent systems to evaluate the performance of their systems.

The Democratic senators Ed Markey, and Richard Blumenthal informed NHTSA in a letter that the data alone was not sufficient. “We urge NHTSA to … illuminate this out-of-control industry and impose safeguards to prevent more deadly conflicts,” the letter said.

The report contains “a series of data with many limitations that make it difficult” to understand the data, said Jennifer Hometi, chairwoman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in a statement.

“Tesla is collecting a large amount of high-quality data, which may mean that it is being misrepresented in the NHTSA report,” she said.

Tesla’s state-of-the-art driver assistance software, promoted as a “Full Self Driving” system, also causes confusion about vehicle capabilities.

The senators are worried about the large number of incidents and the involvement of Tesla vehicles. “We are concerned that some drivers today are using technology as a means of convenience, endangering themselves and others on the road,” Senators Markey and Blumenthal wrote in their letter.

NHTSA required companies to report immediately all incidents, including technologically advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), as well as equipping vehicles with automated driving systems that have been tested on the public road network.

Of the 392 incidents reported by 12 vehicle manufacturers since July, Six deaths have been reported, as well as five cases of serious injuries. Honda Motor recorded 90 incidents.

The manufacturers reported 130 incidents involving prototype autonomous driving systems, while in 108 of them, no injuries were recorded, with serious injuries being recorded in only one incident.

Honda Motor recorded 90 incidents, while Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo autonomous driving division reported 62 incidents, involving automated driving systems. General Motors Cruise recorded 23 incidents.

Waymo announced that the incidents it recorded did not pose a high risk to the safety of drivers, while 1/3 of them took place under conventional driving conditions. Vehicle airbags were developed in only two cases.