Tesla driver using Autopilot kills motorcyclist, prompting another NHTSA investigation

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

A motorcyclist in Utah was killed early Sunday morning when a car slammed into the back of his bike. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into the latest crash involving the advanced driver assist system of the electric car maker.

Local reports say the incident occurred just after 1AM on Sunday. The motorcyclist was travelling south near the Salt Lake and Utah County lines when the car came from behind. According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, the motorcyclist was thrown to the ground and killed by the driver of the electric car.

The driver of the car did not see the motorcyclist. At the time of the crash the driver was using autopilot.

The Utah crash has been added to NHTSA's list of Special Crash Investigations, in which the agency gathers data beyond what local authorities and insurance companies typically gather at the scene. The agency looks at crashes with advanced driver assist systems.

There were 48 crashes on the agency's list as of July 26th. Nineteen people, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians, other drivers, and motorcyclists, died in the crashes.

ADAS Cases for Release byhawkins8223 on Scribd.

NHTSA is looking into 16 crashes in whichTesla owners using autopilot crashed into emergency vehicles, resulting in injuries and one death. Most of the incidents took place after dark with the software ignoring the scene control measures. An engineering analysis is the second and final phase of an investigation before a recall.

The government has a list of vehicle crashes that take place while using active driver- assist features. Most likely due to the fact that it sells more vehicles with Level 2 systems than its rivals, the number of cars sold byTesla was higher than those of other companies. Real-time data from its customers gives it a much quicker reporting process.

According to the NHTSA, from July 20th, 2021. to May 21st, 2022. The EV company crashes make up the majority of crashes reported during that time.

Many of the car crashes are fatal. There were more deaths in auto-related crashes last year. The number of people who died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the next two years is estimated by the NHTSA. People who may have died in a crash are included in the deaths.

Most of these crashes are not related to the car company. Because of the company's willingness to test new software on its customers, everyone else is in close proximity to those drivers. Because of the risks it takes in putting advanced technology out in the world, and because of the corners it cuts to do so, it is a different type of company.

When a particular technology is involved in a fatal incident, it's important to look at what decisions were made that led to this particular failure. When the evidence seems to suggest that the results are more complicated, it's because of that.