Tesla’s ‘full self-driving’ beta test has caught the attention of federal security regulators

Federal regulators keep their eyes peeled Tesla’s “full self-driving” test. This week, automaker Beta began testing its latest advanced driver assistance software with select customers, and so far, the government has been taking a wait-and-see approach.

In a statement, a spokesman for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would “closely monitor new technology and not hesitate to take action to protect the public against unreasonable risks to safety.” The report also includes some footnotes from Tesla’s decision to describe its driver assist feature as “self-driving” (our insistence):

“As we continued, No vehicle is available for purchase today. The most advanced vehicle technologies available for purchase today provide driving assistance and require a fully focused human driver to perform the driving task and monitor the surrounding environment at all times. Misuse of these technologies will at least distract attention. Every state in the nation is responsible for driving the safe operation of the vehicle. ”

Tesla has a verified history with the NHTSA, a federal agency that recalls and investigates motor vehicle accidents. In 2019, The NHDSA opened an investigation For vehicle fire complaints connected to battery management systems on some Model S and X vehicles. The company has also investigated several fatal accidents involving autopilots. Earlier this year, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the advanced driver assistance system was one of the causes of a dangerous 2018 crash in which a California man was killed after his Model X crashed into a concrete barrier.

“Full Self Driving” is an 000 8,000 (soon to be $ 10,000 according to Elon Musk) option that allows Tesla owners to use the “auto pilot” function only on the highway in front of the vehicle on city and residential streets. Until the driver selects a target in the navigation, the car will stop at intersections, make left and right hand turns, and the path will change automatically.

Tesla warns drivers to keep their eyes on the road at all times and to keep their hands on the wheel – however, the automaker has popularly refused to add a robust driver-monitoring system (such as infrared eye surveillance) to ensure its customers adhere to safety protocols. Therefore, full self-driving is only considered a Level 2 “partially automated” system. The NHTSA classifies it as an “autostear” on city streets, using branding for Tesla’s lane-keep assistance feature.

Although there is now a level 5 system that does not exist anywhere in the world, Kasturi has wrongly classified it as a “level 5”.