🔗 Share this article American Authorities Launch Investigation into Self-Driving Teslas Following String of Crashes American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after numerous accidents. Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”. This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety. Concerning Incident Reports The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while operating the system. NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”. The agency noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants. Further Issues Identified The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the vehicle interface”. Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”. Ongoing Official Examination Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months. In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal. Company's Official Stance Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the car self-driving.” Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.