Elon Musk is in a bad place after some people were harmed because of Tesla's autopilot malfunctions. Because of this, some federal regulators decided to launch an expanding series of probes that focus on Tesla and its semi-autonomous system.
Since March, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was able to open eight new investigations focusing on the giant EV maker. This brings the total number of safety probes into Tesla to 30.
Specifically, 24 of them are still ongoing. This just shows how hard it is to investigate Tesla's semi-autonomous feature since the agency was only able to complete six investigations.
Some experts claimed that the driver assistance system of the popular EV brand already killed ten people in the United States. However, it seems like Elon Musk doesn't agree with this idea since he blames the Tesla drivers.
Elon Musk Blames Drivers and Suggest Override
According to The Onion's latest report, Elon Musk released a statement after the Tesla Autopilot incidents became a hot topic. The tech giant CEO said that it is not actually the feature's fault, but it is the drivers that should be blamed for the accidents.
A tesla vehicle is displayed in a Manhattan dealership on January 30, 2020 in New York City. Following a fourth-quarter earnings report, Tesla, the electric car company, saw its stock surge to another record high Thursday that blew past estimates, giving the leading maker of electric vehicles a market valuation of $115 billion. Shares of Tesla (TSLA) rose 10.3%, closing at 640.81, a new closing high.
"Unfortunately, while it's a rare and preventable tragedy, many people are not prepared when their Tesla suddenly locks the doors, tightens their seatbelts, and slowly begins sucking oxygen from the vehicle," he explained.
"While we understand people's frustrations, it's important to note that this has only happened a handful of times, and there are plenty of ways to manually override the car before you perish," added Elon Musk.
If you have no idea what manual override is, it is the process where drivers take over the car that is in autopilot mode. When the drivers do this, they will have complete navigation and other controls over their automobiles.
Tesla Autopilot Accidents
Auto Wise reported that two men killed in Texas were using their Tesla Autopilot's feature. Authorities released this information after they discovered that no one was actually in the driver's seat during the time of the accident.
Because of this, NHTSA and NTSB focused on studying why Tesla Autopilot leads to some crashes. On the other hand, some overseas incidents may have involved Tesla vehicles operating on the driving system.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
