Note: This article may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion.
An eight-car pileup involving a Tesla took place on Thanksgiving Day 2022 on Interstate 80 not far from Treasure Island, California on the San Francisco Bay Bridge sending. The pileup sent two juveniles to the hospital. The driver whose vehicle started the accident told responding police officers that his 2021 Tesla Model S was in Full-Self Driving mode or FSD.
A police report that was uncovered by Reuters and published Wednesday indicated that the Tesla Model S made an unsafe lane change while traveling at about 55 mph and then began slowing to a stop in front of another moving vehicle, effectively cutting it off. The second vehicle slammed into the back of the braking Tesla. A chain reaction of collisions followed across the bridge.
The police report reveals that the driver told officers that the FSD had malfunctioned, however, investigators were unable to determine if the software was or was not functioning at the time of the accident. The report added that if the FSD did indeed malfunction, then the driver should have manually retaken control of the vehicle.
Reuters reported that neither the National Transportation Safety Board nor Tesla have responded to requests for comment.
Regarding the FSD mode on its website, Tesla states “Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
Several technology leaders have criticized Elon Musk for his simultaneous leadership of both Tesla and recently acquired Twitter, with many contributing the electric carmaker’s recent stock performance to Musk’s alleged inattentiveness. The company’s stock has fallen by over 70 percent from its 52-week-high.
Gene Munster of Loup Ventures was quoted by The Daily Wire in a CNBC interview, “Elon is Tesla’s brand. He needs to pull it together. He’s made these mistakes about running off on the mouth many times, and he needs to tighten up his message because he’s going to cause some long-term damage if he doesn’t right the ship.”
According to ABC7 News, The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration or NHTSA has received “hundreds of complaints from Tesla drivers. Some have described near crashes and concerns about their safety.” The NHTSA upgraded its investigation of the FSD system over the summer to an engineering analysis that indicates it’s considering a possible recall.
An eight-car pileup involving a Tesla took place on Thanksgiving Day 2022 on Interstate 80 not far from Treasure Island, California on the San Francisco Bay Bridge sending. The pileup sent two juveniles to the hospital. The driver whose vehicle started the accident told responding police officers that his 2021 Tesla Model S was in Full-Self Driving mode or FSD.
A police report that was uncovered by Reuters and published Wednesday indicated that the Tesla Model S made an unsafe lane change while traveling at about 55 mph and then began slowing to a stop in front of another moving vehicle, effectively cutting it off. The second vehicle slammed into the back of the braking Tesla. A chain reaction of collisions followed across the bridge.
The police report reveals that the driver told officers that the FSD had malfunctioned, however, investigators were unable to determine if the software was or was not functioning at the time of the accident. The report added that if the FSD did indeed malfunction, then the driver should have manually retaken control of the vehicle.
Reuters reported that neither the National Transportation Safety Board nor Tesla have responded to requests for comment.
Regarding the FSD mode on its website, Tesla states “Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
Several technology leaders have criticized Elon Musk for his simultaneous leadership of both Tesla and recently acquired Twitter, with many contributing the electric carmaker’s recent stock performance to Musk’s alleged inattentiveness. The company’s stock has fallen by over 70 percent from its 52-week-high.
Gene Munster of Loup Ventures was quoted by The Daily Wire in a CNBC interview, “Elon is Tesla’s brand. He needs to pull it together. He’s made these mistakes about running off on the mouth many times, and he needs to tighten up his message because he’s going to cause some long-term damage if he doesn’t right the ship.”
According to ABC7 News, The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration or NHTSA has received “hundreds of complaints from Tesla drivers. Some have described near crashes and concerns about their safety.” The NHTSA upgraded its investigation of the FSD system over the summer to an engineering analysis that indicates it’s considering a possible recall.