America has conducted a federal investigation into the “autopilot” system found in a Tesla electric car model, after it caused a crash that killed 3 people.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in America is investigating, and said it is immediately looking into more than 30 accidents related to Tesla’s autopilot, according to the American newspaper, “The Wall Street Journal”.
The collision occurred on May 12 in Newport Beach, California, according to the Orange County Register.
Reportedly, the Model S electric car crashed into a curb and crashed into construction equipment, killing all three occupants, and 3 construction workers were sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police refused to say whether the Tesla autopilot was involved in the accident.
Tesla is one of a number of automakers that have released “Level 2” driver assistance systems that are designed to make driving easier, but these systems are far from fully autonomous (Level 4 or 5).
Tesla directs its drivers to pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the steering wheel.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in America said last August that it was opening an investigation into the “auto-pilot” system, after 11 accidents with vehicles since 2018, which resulted in 17 injuries and one death.
The administration itself has been criticized by the National Transportation Safety Board in America for not ensuring that automakers include appropriate safety features in their “Tier 2” autonomous vehicles.
Council Chair Jennifer Homedy called Tesla’s use of the term “fully self-driving” for its latest autopilot system “misleading and irresponsible.”