[Fil-Ski]

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday US time that it was opening a preliminary investigation into 25,000 Tesla Motors Model S cars after a fatal crash involving a vehicle using the "Autopilot" mode.

The agency said the crash came in a 2015 Model S operating with automated driving systems engaged, and "calls for an examination of the design and performance of any driving aids in use at the time of the crash".

It is the first step before the agency could seek to order a recall if it believed the vehicles were unsafe.

NHTSA said in a statement the driver of the 2015 Model S was killed while operating in Autopilot mode in a crash on May 7 in Williston, Florida. NHTSA said preliminary reports indicate the vehicle crash occurred when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla at an intersection.

Tesla said in a blog post that this is the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles where Autopilot was activated.

Tesla said "neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied".

The company said "the high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S".

Tesla said that "Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert. Nonetheless, when used in conjunction with driver oversight, the data is unequivocal that Autopilot reduces driver workload and results in a statistically significant improvement in safety when compared to purely manual driving."

[David B]

We probably will never know exactly what was going on inside the cabin with the driver other than the Autopilot was on, when the accident occured.

However it maybe that the driver didnt see the obstruction till the last second either given the description of the event.

[TomE]

We probably will never know exactly what was going on inside the cabin with the driver other than the Autopilot was on, when the accident occured.

However it maybe that the driver didnt see the obstruction till the last second either given the description of the event.

It might have been an accident that was unpreventable by human or machine. Tesla would be crawling through the data to work out what happened.

[looney]

I guess this is the statistician in me coming out.

So they claim 1 fatality in 130 million miles.

I'd be interested to see how many accidents in that same data set, and then that compared to general road statistics.

That is the only way to determine if the autopilot is safe or not.

[360c]

I guess this is the statistician in me coming out.

So they claim 1 fatality in 130 million miles.

I'd be interested to see how many accidents in that same data set, and then that compared to general road statistics.

That is the only way to determine if the autopilot is safe or not.

In the USA it is 1 fatality for every 94 million miles. Worldwide it is 1 fatality for every 60 million miles.

[looney]

In the USA it is 1 fatality for every 94 million miles. Worldwide it is 1 fatality for every 60 million miles.

That speaks volumes doesn't it?

[360c]

It might have been an accident that was unpreventable by human or machine. Tesla would be crawling through the data to work out what happened.

They already know, the accident was in early May. Neither the  driver nor the autopilot saw the thin white side of the trailor tray against a bright sky background. Car went straight under and impact was across the windscreen and A pillars.

[360c]

That speaks volumes doesn't it?

Sure does.

[tdc911]

That speaks volumes doesn't it?

Surely you aren't implying that US drivers are 50% safer than the rest of the world?

[dkabab]

Surely you aren't implying that US drivers are 50% safer than the rest of the world?

stats never lie...

i remember reading something like 30% of all car accidents in aus involved drink driving. of course you could deduce from this that you have a much lower chance of having an accident drunk than the 70% that had accidents sober.