Photo: Novitec
A different agency from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board has lambasted Tesla over the inherent issues of its Autopilot system. Responsible for civil transportation accident investigations in the U.S., the NTSB criticizes the EV-making company over “a lack of appropriate safeguards.”
Tesla is mentioned for all the wrong reasons no fewer than 16 times in the document attached at the end of this article, but Elon Musk’s pride and joy isn’t alone in this ordeal. Federal investigators had a few things to say about the NHTSA too, a very lax agency in the eyes of many safety experts.
In summary, the National Transportation Safety Board is calling for the development of a framework for ADAS safety. “The foundation should include sensible safeguards, protocols, and minimum performance standards to ensure the safety of motorists and other vulnerable road users.”
The NTSB vs. NHTSA dispute can be attributed to Congress because the bicameral legislature divided responsibility for transportation safety among two agencies. As opposed to the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a regulator that establishes federal motor vehicle safety standards for cars and light trucks.
“Because of the NHTSA’s failure to act on important safety recommendations, Tesla continues to permit autonomous vehicle operation outside the operational design domain,” highlights the NTSB in the 15-page document. The NHTSA told the National Transportation Safety Board that the agency has no current plans to develop a specific method to address this concern.
Look beyond this battle of egos, and it’s easy to understand why the NTSB wants the watchdogs at the NHTSA to be more proactive about autonomous vehicle-related safety problems. Without well-thought standards and performance requirements for driver-assist systems in vehicles sold in the United States, Tesla Autopilot crashes will continue to make the headlines.
On that rather worrisome note, you may know that FSD Capability Beta is now a thing on all Tesla models. Available as an option for $10,000 regardless of model, the only problem with Full-Self Driving Capability Beta is the name, which is very misleading because Elon Musk’s company refers to Level 2 partial autonomy instead of Level 5 completely autonomous features.
In summary, the National Transportation Safety Board is calling for the development of a framework for ADAS safety. “The foundation should include sensible safeguards, protocols, and minimum performance standards to ensure the safety of motorists and other vulnerable road users.”
The NTSB vs. NHTSA dispute can be attributed to Congress because the bicameral legislature divided responsibility for transportation safety among two agencies. As opposed to the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a regulator that establishes federal motor vehicle safety standards for cars and light trucks.
“Because of the NHTSA’s failure to act on important safety recommendations, Tesla continues to permit autonomous vehicle operation outside the operational design domain,” highlights the NTSB in the 15-page document. The NHTSA told the National Transportation Safety Board that the agency has no current plans to develop a specific method to address this concern.
Look beyond this battle of egos, and it’s easy to understand why the NTSB wants the watchdogs at the NHTSA to be more proactive about autonomous vehicle-related safety problems. Without well-thought standards and performance requirements for driver-assist systems in vehicles sold in the United States, Tesla Autopilot crashes will continue to make the headlines.
On that rather worrisome note, you may know that FSD Capability Beta is now a thing on all Tesla models. Available as an option for $10,000 regardless of model, the only problem with Full-Self Driving Capability Beta is the name, which is very misleading because Elon Musk’s company refers to Level 2 partial autonomy instead of Level 5 completely autonomous features.
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