U.S. officials are re-examining autonomous Tesla vehicles.
The U.S. safety agency, NHTSA, is once again scrutinizing Tesla's self-driving feature due to several incidents. Their focus this time is whether the system's full control over the vehicles is compromised in adverse lighting conditions, as per their statement. The inquiry began on Thursday in response to reports of four incidents, one of which resulted in a pedestrian's death.
It's not the first time NHTSA has raised concerns about Tesla's autonomous driving capabilities. The company has already had to recall vehicles on two occasions due to the self-driving feature disregarding traffic regulations like stop signs while in autonomous mode.
The NHTSA team is now aiming to ascertain whether the autonomous driving function can effectively recognize and respond to poor visibility conditions. Tesla remained unreachable for comment on Friday. In previous instances, the company has consistently underlined the necessity of human drivers to intervene even during autonomous driving.
After the pedestrian's death in one of the reported incidents, the NHTSA is investigating if Tesla's self-driving feature overlooks traffic regulations in adverse lighting conditions, as well. Previously, Tesla had to recall vehicles due to the autonomous driving feature disregarding stop signs, highlighting the need for human intervention.
