[1/2]Tesla Model 3 vehicles are displayed for sale at a Tesla facility in Long Beach, California, on May 22, 2023. Portal/Mike Blake
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Portal) – U.S. auto safety agencies are launching a special crash investigation into a fatal crash in California in which a 2018 Tesla Model 3 was suspected of relying on advanced driver assistance systems, the government agency said on Tuesday with.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the July 5 accident in South Lake Tahoe that killed the 17-year-old driver of a 2013 Subaru Impreza and fatally injured a three-month-old after a head-on collision with the Tesla Model 3 Passenger in the Tesla who died a few days later, the California Highway Patrol said.
Since 2016, the US Auto Safety Administration has opened more than three dozen Tesla special accident investigations into cases suspected of using systems like Autopilot, with 22 fatalities reported as of Tuesday.
Autopilot is a feature designed to automatically steer, accelerate, and brake cars within their lane, while enhanced autopilot can help with lane changes on highways. Tesla, which did not respond to requests for comment, said the system requires active human oversight.
According to a police report, the Subaru was traveling at an estimated speed of 55 miles per hour (88.51 kilometers per hour), while the Tesla was traveling at 45 miles per hour when they collided. The Tesla driver sustained serious injuries and two other Tesla passengers sustained moderate injuries.
“There are no charges pending at this time. Vehicle and car seat inspections are currently underway,” a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said.
This is the first new special accident investigation related to Tesla and the alleged use of ADAS since it opened in March, including one into the fatal accident in February in California involving a 2014 Tesla (TSLA.O) Model S and a fire truck were Contra Costa County, California.
A local California fire department said a Tesla struck one of their fire engines and the Tesla driver died at the scene.
The other investigation, in March, involves a 2022 Tesla Model Y that hit and seriously injured a 17-year-old student who was getting off a school bus in North Carolina.
NHTSA typically initiates more than 100 “special” accident investigations annually into new technology and other potential vehicle safety issues that have previously contributed to the development of airbag safety regulations, for example.
These are independent of the deficiency investigations initiated by the authority to determine whether a safety recall is justified.
In June, NHTSA expanded its investigation into 830,000 Tesla vehicles with Autopilot and parked emergency vehicle accidents, including fire engines, to include technical analysis.
NHTSA announced earlier this month that it will be collecting updated responses and current data from Tesla on the Autopilot investigation by Wednesday.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Edited by Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama and Deepa Babington
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