CNN
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Confirmed by Tesla Published application The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it has requested documents related to Autopilot and the company’s controversial driver assistance software system, which Tesla calls “fully self-driving.”
Tesla said it had “received a request from the Department of Justice for documentation related to Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD features.”
Autopilot is a suite of driver assistance features best known for automatic steering that keeps the car in its lane on the road. Some drivers say it reduces fatigue on long road trips. “Fully automated driving” not only steers the vehicle in urban areas, but also waits for traffic lights and turns to reach the destination.driver Impressed It has that ability, but is wary of its flaws.
Tesla said it was not aware of an ongoing government investigation that concluded that some kind of wrongdoing had occurred.
The company’s driver assistance software has already been investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sparking speculation that the software may be recalled. NHTSA announced last summer It’s escalating Tesla’s investigation to an “engineering analysis,” a step toward seeking a recall.
NHTSA first investigated Tesla’s driver assistance technology has received reports that a vehicle with Autopilot engaged collided with an emergency vehicle that had stopped at a previous crash site.
Autopilot has long been controversial.National Transportation Safety Board previously found Technology is to blame in part for fatal crashes.
Tesla Claim Autopilot is safer than normal driving, but self-driving car experts say of Data selected by Tesla It compares apples and oranges to back up its safety claims and is not the best measure of system safety.
Tesla’s “fully self-driving” system is meant to work on the streets one day, but despite its widespread rollout, it’s still officially in a developing “beta” program. Cars for sale cannot yet drive themselves.
Reuters reported in October Tesla faces a Justice Department investigation over claims that its vehicles can drive themselves.
The investigation raises stakes for Tesla and its self-driving technology claims. As part of a criminal investigation, the Department of Justice investigates whether a person or company has violated the law. Agencies such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission and NHTSA can generally require companies to order recalls in the event of a problem, but they cannot.
Tesla’s use of the term “self-driving” is also fraught with controversy.
Waymo, the self-driving subsidiary of Google’s parent company, The word “self-driving” is no longer used In January 2021, the reason was that the phrase was used incorrectly and gave a false impression of the functionality of driver assistance systems.
“Language accuracy is critical and can save lives,” Waymo said at the time.
Tesla’s word choice has long angered People who have been working to add self-driving capabilities to their vehicles.
Tesla has long defended itself with bylaws and in-cabin warnings that drivers must remain in control of their cars because they could do the wrong thing at worst. However, there has been a lot of consumer confusion. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that drivers rely too much on features such as Autopilot, which can lead to dangerous situations.
IIHS is 42% Tesla Autopilot users were comfortable letting the system drive their vehicles without monitoring what was happening on the road.
