Federal Regulator Cites Reports of Traffic Violations and Crashes Involving FSD
Washington D.C. – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system following a series of alarming reports detailing traffic safety violations. The probe affects an estimated 2.9 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD software, raising concerns about the system’s readiness for widespread use.
The federal safety regulator has identified multiple incidents where Tesla vehicles operating under FSD allegedly contravened traffic laws. The most common violations include running red lights and making unsafe lane changes into oncoming traffic. Disturbingly, some of these infractions have reportedly led to crashes, with several incidents resulting in injuries.
NHTSA’s investigation specifically highlights six reported cases where Tesla vehicles, while using FSD, proceeded through red traffic signals at intersections, subsequently colliding with other vehicles. Four of these crashes reportedly resulted in injuries. The agency expressed particular concern over potentially repeatable violations, citing instances where Tesla cars ran red lights at the same intersection in Maryland on multiple occasions.
As part of its comprehensive investigation, NHTSA will assess the FSD system’s ability to provide adequate warnings to drivers or sufficient time for them to intervene and respond when the self-driving system performs unexpected or potentially dangerous actions. The outcome of this investigation could have significant implications for the future development and deployment of Tesla’s FSD technology.
