Tesla Crash Blamed on Human Driver, Not Autopilot

Federal investigators have concluded that a human driver, not Tesla's self-driving software, was responsible for a fatal crash in Katy, Texas, that killed a 76-year-old grandmother. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported on Wednesday that the driver had pressed the accelerator to full speed, overriding the vehicle's self-driving feature. The Tesla Model 3 then accelerated to highway speeds down a residential street before crashing into a brick home.

This finding contradicts the driver's initial statement to police that the self-driving software was engaged at the time of the incident. The crash occurred last month and highlighted ongoing concerns about the safety of Tesla's autonomous driving technology. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is actively promoting the safety of these features as the company plans to convert existing vehicles to fully automatic and introduce new models like the Cybercab without traditional controls.

The incident also comes amidst broader scrutiny from federal agencies. Two months prior, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) upgraded its 2024 investigation into Tesla's self-driving feature to an "engineering analysis" level. This move indicated a potential recall for up to 3.2 million Tesla vehicles. The NHTSA probe was initiated due to instances where the self-driving feature allegedly failed to prompt drivers to take control during adverse weather conditions.

Furthermore, the NHTSA has been investigating 58 incidents reported last year where Teslas allegedly violated traffic laws while using self-driving technology. These incidents have resulted in over a dozen crashes, fires, and nearly two dozen injuries. The NHTSA is conducting a separate "special crash" investigation into the Texas house crash, marking one of 46 such investigations into Tesla's driver-assistance or self-driving technology over the past decade. In more than a dozen of these past investigations, at least one person, either a driver or passenger, was involved.