U.S. agency probes Tesla crashes that killed 2 motorcyclists

Two accidents apparently involving Teslas operating on Autopilot are drawing scrutiny from federal regulators and pointing to a potential new danger on America’s highways: Partially automated vehicles may not stop for motorcycles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent investigative teams to two crashes last month in which Teslas collided with motorcycles on freeways in the dark. Both were fatal.

The agency suspects Tesla’s partially automated driver assistance system was in use in each. The agency says that once it gathers more information, it may include the crashes in a broader investigation of Teslas hitting emergency vehicles parked along the freeways. NHTSA is also investigating more than 750 complaints that Teslas may slow down without reason.

The first accident involving a motorcyclist occurred at 4:47 a.m. on July 7 on State Route 91, a freeway in Riverside, California. A white Tesla Model Y SUV was traveling eastbound in the high-occupancy vehicle lane. In front of him was a rider on a green Yamaha V-Star motorcycle, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement.

At some point, the vehicles collided, and the unidentified rider was ejected from the Yamaha. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fire Department.

Whether or not the Tesla was operating on Autopilot remains under investigation, a CHP spokesman said.

The second crash happened around 1:09 a.m. July 24 on Interstate 15 near Draper, Utah. A Tesla Model 3 sedan was behind a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, also in an HOV lane. “The driver of the Tesla failed to see the rider and collided with the rear of the motorcycle, throwing the rider off the bicycle,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a prepared statement.

The rider, identified as Landon Embry, 34, of Orem, Utah, died at the scene. The driver of the Tesla told authorities he had the vehicle’s Autopilot setting on, the statement said.

“These things don’t work properly”

Michael Brooks, acting executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, called on NHTSA to withdraw Tesla’s Autopilot because it doesn’t recognize motorists, emergency vehicles or pedestrians.

“It’s pretty clear to me, and it should be to a lot of Tesla owners by now, that these things don’t work properly and won’t live up to expectations, and it’s putting innocent people in danger in the roads.” Brooks said.

Since 2016, NHTSA has sent teams to 39 crashes involving suspected self-driving systems, according to agency documents. Of those, 30 involved Teslas, including crashes that caused 19 deaths.

Brooks criticized the agency for continuing to investigate but not taking action. “What the hell are they doing while these accidents keep happening?” he asked. “Drivers are being tricked into thinking this is protecting them and others on the roads, and it’s just not working.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has removed the use of radar from his systems and relies solely on cameras and computer memory. Brooks and other safety advocates say the lack of radar impairs vision in the dark.

Messages were left seeking comment from Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations department.

Tesla has said that Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” cannot drive themselves and that drivers should be ready to step in at all times.

The promise of autopilot

In a June interview, new NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff said the agency is stepping up efforts to understand the risks posed by automated vehicles so it can decide what regulations may be needed to protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians There are no federal regulations directly covering self-driving vehicles or those with partially automated driver assistance systems, such as Autopilot.

The agency also says the technology holds great promise for reducing traffic accidents.

NHTSA has also ordered all automakers and technology companies with self-driving systems to report all accidents. The agency released the first batch of data in June that showed nearly 400 crashes were reported over a 10-month period, including 273 involving Teslas. But he cautioned against drawing comparisons, saying Tesla’s telematics allows it to gather data in real time, much faster than other companies.

Tesla’s Autopilot keeps cars in their lane and a distance behind other vehicles. The company is also using select owners to test “Full Self-Driving” software, designed to complete a route on its own with human supervision. Eventually, Musk says the cars will drive themselves, enabling a fleet of autonomous robotaxis that will boost Tesla’s profits. In 2019, Musk had promised to have the robotaxis operational by 2020.

He told the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday that “full autonomous driving” is much improved, and he hopes to make the software available by the end of the year to all owners who request it.

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