A driver is blaming artificial intelligence for a dumb decision, claiming the self-driving technology of his Tesla suddenly applied the brakes, resulting in an 8-vehicle chain-reaction crash that injured nine people.
Self-driving Tesla hits the brakes and causes eight-car crash
A 76-year-old attorney from San Francisco is blaming artificial intelligence technology for a chain reaction crash that occurred on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day.
The lawyer told the California Highway Patrol that he had his white 2021 Tesla Model S in “full self-driving mode” when, without warning, it suddenly activated the brakes, ABC 7 reported.
The abrupt stop triggered a chain reaction of rear-enders, with one car crashing into the back of another until a total of eight vehicles were piled up. The accident left nine people injured, including a two-year-old boy.
According to a statement by the California Highway Patrol in a December 7 report, it could not confirm if “full self-driving” was active on the Tesla at the time of the crash and said the Tesla company would have that information, CNN reported.
See the video
Surveillance footage was released that showed the 8-vehicle chain-reaction crash as it occurred in the eastbound lane on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. ABC posted a video on YouTube. The crash resulted in an hours-long traffic jam.
Multiple reports of Tesla vehicles unexpectedly slamming the brakes
There are a growing number of reports of the self-driving technology employed in Tesla vehicles unexpectedly applying the brakes, according to ABC.
Incidentally, only hours before the crash occurred, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the launch of the full self-driving Beta version. He called the new update “a major milestone.”
“With any technology, there’s a period of having to test it out and work out the kinks,” said Ken Klippenstein, a reporter for the Intercept. “And if we’re all guinea pigs in the system, if they’re testing this out, let’s say on roads that we’re all driving on and not in controlled settings, if something goes wrong, we’re going to experience that in real time.”
Incident under investigation by the NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into the incident and has assigned a Special Crash Investigation team to the task. This latest mishap with a Tesla is only one of dozens that the NHTSA is examining that involve Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Although the other incidents involve mostly Teslas, there are investigations of Volvos, Cadillacs, Hyundai, Genesis, and Cruise vehicles.
