Photo: AI DRIVR
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) appears to have issues with Tesla and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Autopilot feature, citing safety concerns.
The new head of the NTSB, Jennifer Homendy, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview, “basic safety issues have to be addressed before they’re then expanding it to other city streets and other areas.” Homendy also said she had issues with the electric automaker’s software being tested on public roads.
Moreover, Tesla’s naming of the feature as Full Self-Driving is “misleading and irresponsible,” added Homendy, noting consumers listen to marketing instead of warnings in manuals and documentation. “It has clearly misled numerous people to misuse and abuse technology,” added the NTSB head’s scathing remarks.
Tesla’s FSD costs $10,000 USD or is available for $199 USD per month on a subscription basis. The beta version is being carefully tested in the United States (and with a select few in Canada), with Tesla CEO Elon Musk noting there are 2,000 testers, with no accidents to date.
FSD beta testers, running version 10.0.1 of the software, have shared some impressive videos of driving feature in action.
According to Musk, Tesla is set to roll out FSD beta to more testers soon. They will need to prove they have safe driving in order to test the beta software. Those that aren’t “super careful” will get booted from the test program, said Musk.
The concerns raised by the new NTSB head come as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates auto safety in America, launched an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot feature that caused some owner vehicles to run into parked police cars and other emergency vehicles.
