NTSB wants Tesla to limit Autopilot use
DETROIT » The head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is calling on Tesla to act on recommendations to limit where its Autopilot driver-assist system can operate and to put a system in place to make sure drivers are paying attention.
In a letter sent to Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday, Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy says the electric vehicle maker has not responded to the agency’s recommendations issued four years ago.
Homendy also says company statements that safety is the primary design requirement for Tesla are undercut by the rollout of “Full Self-Driving” software to customers who test it on public roads. The tests are being done “without first addressing the very design shortcomings” that allowed three fatal Tesla crashes that were investigated by the NTSB, she wrote.
The NTSB investigates crashes but has no regulatory authority. It can only make recommendations to automakers or other federal agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“If you are serious about putting safety front and center in Tesla vehicle design, I invite you to complete action on the safety recommendations we issued to you four years ago,” Homendy wrote.
The agency, she said, has long advocated for multiple technologies to prevent crashes and save lives, “but it’s crucial that such technology is implemented with the safety of all road users foremost in mind,” she wrote.
Homendy wrote that her agency appreciates Tesla’s cooperation as it investigates other fatal Tesla crashes in Spring, Texas, near Houston, and in Coral Gables, Florida. But she wrote that she’s deeply concerned about Tesla’s inaction on previous recommendations.
She pointed out that the agency found that the driver in a 2016 crash in Williston, Florida, ran his car on Autopilot on roads where it wasn’t designed to operate safely. The NTSB also determined that Autopilot didn’t effectively monitor the driver to make sure he was paying attention.
Tesla has said that Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” are advanced assist systems and cannot drive themselves, despite their names. It says drivers should always be ready to take action.