Tesla Robotaxis Are Speeding, Braking Randomly, And Breaking Traffic Laws
This month, Tesla robotaxis began hitting the road in Austin, but according to numerous reports, the pilot program is far from being a polished service that can be embraced by large portions of the general public. As noted by Bloomberg, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reached out to Tesla just a few days after launching the robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. The agency is reportedly investigating claims and video evidence of self-driving Tesla Model Y robotaxis breaking traffic laws of various descriptions. This is particularly concerning since Tesla maintains that a human supervisor guarantees safety as the software is further developed.
Some reports say that the robotaxis have broken the speed limit, while others claim that robotaxis have stopped in the middle of intersections for no apparent reason. The fact that no crashes or injuries have been reported indicates that these violations may be minor, but they're still worrying. However, at this point, there's no reason for alarm. The NHTSA is still in very early stages, and requesting information from Tesla is just the first step of many that must be taken before opening a full investigation or issuing a recall. That being said, the NHTSA has investigated Tesla over numerous incidents concerning its Autopilot and FSD-branded semi-autonomous driving assist systems, including phantom braking events, and in the worst cases, the failure of these driver aids or a basic misunderstanding of what they're capable of has led to fatal crashes.
Other video reports show evidence of Tesla's robotaxis slamming on the brakes for stationary vehicles that were not even in its path or traveling the wrong way down a road. With plenty of rivals vying for a slice of the robotaxi pie, the fast deployment of a robotaxi service is important for Tesla's market share, but it clearly comes with some drawbacks.
One might expect that these sorts of issues would be resolved during the NHTSA's evaluation of the system, but a statement made by the agency to TechCrunch confrims that the NHTSA can only act after the fact: "NHTSA will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment, in accordance with the Vehicle Safet Act and our data-driven, risk-based investigative process. Under U.S. law, NHTSA does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems - rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA's rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects. Following an assessment of those reports and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety."
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