The leading U.S. automotive regulator has initiated an inquiry following a tragic incident where a Tesla vehicle using an automated driving feature crashed into a residence in Texas, resulting in the death of a 76-year-old woman who was inside the house at the time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the launch of a special investigation into the Tesla Model 3 collision that took place near Houston last Friday. The vehicle was in operation with technology endorsed by Elon Musk as crucial to the company’s future plans.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is introducing robotaxis equipped with automated software in various U.S. cities this year and intends to offer Tesla owners the opportunity to integrate their vehicles into the fleet using the same system nationwide. According to a police report on the incident, the driver indicated to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office that they were utilizing the technology, although it remains uncertain whether this technology contributed to the accident.
In response to the incident, Tesla did not provide a comment; however, the head of the company’s artificial intelligence division hinted on social media that the self-driving feature was not at fault. The individual mentioned that the driver manually overrode the self-driving function by fully depressing the accelerator pedal in a residential area. The car accelerated to a speed of 73 mph (119 km/h) during the crash and continued to have the accelerator pressed even after the collision.
The driver involved in the crash was found not to be intoxicated and is cooperating with authorities. The victim, Martha Avila, was identified in the police report. Video footage captured by KHOU-TV illustrates the car speeding across the front lawn of a brick home in Katy, Texas, before crashing into a front room, with subsequent scenes showing the vehicle embedded within the house amidst debris.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has previously conducted several investigations into Tesla, including one in which 58 incidents were reported last year involving Teslas breaching traffic safety regulations while utilizing self-driving technology, resulting in numerous crashes, fires, and injuries. Additional investigations by the NHTSA have been opened over the past decade into 46 cases of Tesla vehicles employing self-driving or driver-assistance technology, with over a dozen of these incidents resulting in fatalities.
Tesla faced a significant decline in its stock value early last year, with a decrease in car sales attributed to a boycott of Elon Musk following his political involvement. However, Musk has successfully shifted the narrative around Tesla from a focus on car sales to one centered on artificial intelligence and robotaxis, reflected in the stock’s 16% increase over the past year.
