US auto safety regulators have opened a special investigation into a fatal pedestrian crash in California involving a 2018 Tesla Model 3 where an advanced driver assistance system is suspected to be in use.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) cited the California incident in an emailed update Thursday, but did not identify the specific accident.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on June 7 that a Tesla took off and struck and killed a woman. NBC-7 in San Diego said a 39-year-old man was charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs in the incident.
NHTSA previously opened 35 special investigations into crashes involving Tesla vehicles in which advanced driver assistance systems like Autopilot were suspected of being used since 2016.
NHTSA typically opens more than 100 special crash investigations each year into emerging technologies and other potential auto safety issues that have, for example, previously helped develop airbag safety rules.
A total of 15 accidental deaths have been reported in these Tesla investigations, including the most recent incident.
Tesla, which has disbanded its press office, did not respond to a request for comment.
Separately, NHTSA told Reuters it was aware “and in talks with Tesla” of a crash in Florida on Wednesday that killed a 66-year-old Tesla driver and a 67-year-old passenger.
A 2015 Tesla rammed a tractor-trailer in the Gainesville area at a rest area off Interstate 75, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a police report. Both people aboard the Tesla were pronounced dead at the scene.
In June, NHTSA upgraded its 830,000 Tesla Vehicle Defects Probe (TSLA.O) with Autopilot, a necessary step before it can request a recall.
NHTSA opened a preliminary assessment to assess the system’s performance in 765,000 vehicles after a dozen crashes in which Tesla vehicles hit stopped emergency vehicles – and said last month it identified six additional crashes.
NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff told Reuters on Wednesday he wanted to complete the Tesla Autopilot investigation “as quickly as possible, but I also want to get it right. There’s a lot of information that we have to go through with a fine-toothed comb”.
© Thomson Reuters 2022
Tech
