U.S. safety regulator investigates Tesla crash in Detroit
On March 15, the U.S. automobile safety regulator stated that it was investigating the Tesla crash that occurred in Detroit on March 11. In this accident, a Tesla vehicle crashed into the bottom of another container truck, leaving a woman in critical condition.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated on March 15 that the agency “has been aware of the vicious car accident that occurred in Detroit on March 11. We have initiated a special accident investigation (SCI). The team will investigate this accident.'
Last week, a local television station in Detroit reported that after the accident, a 21-year-old female passenger in the Tesla car suffered a head injury and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The video broadcast by the TV station showed that a Tesla was crushed under another container truck, and the Tesla vehicle was seriously damaged.
It is not yet clear whether the car accident in Detroit is related to the Autopilot system. Neither Tesla nor Detroit police immediately responded to requests for comment.
Previously, NHTSA has launched at least 14 SCI teams to investigate accidents in Tesla vehicles. These accidents may be related to the company's Autopilot advanced driving assistance system, but the regulatory agency has not been affected by these investigations. Take any action against Tesla.
Since 2016, there have been at least three fatal Tesla vehicle accidents related to Autopilot in the United States. In an accident in 2019, a Tesla car crashed into a container truck. The roof was overturned while passing under the container truck. The vehicle was three-tenths of a mile (approximately 482 meters) south of the collision site. Stopped, the driver died on the spot. In May 2016, a Tesla Model S driver crashed into a container truck while using Autopilot near Williston, Florida. The roof of the vehicle was also overturned, resulting in the driver's death.
Tesla recommends that when using Autopilot, drivers must place their hands on the steering wheel and keep their attention at all times. However, some Tesla owners said that they can keep their hands off the steering wheel for a long time when using Autopilot.
In February 2020, the NTSB severely criticized Tesla, believing that in the Autopilot crash in California in 2018, Tesla’s system lacked safeguards, and said that the US regulators’ practices in supervising driver assistance systems it's wrong'. But the NTSB can only make recommendations, and NHTSA is responsible for supervising American vehicles.
