SAN FRANCISCO — One driver told authorities that his tesla“Fully autonomous driving” software unexpectedly braked and triggered an eight-car crash in the San Francisco Bay Area last month that resulted in nine people being treated for minor injuries, including a minor who was hospitalized, according to the Patrol. of California Highways. traffic accident report.
CNN Business obtained the report detailing the accident through a public records request on Wednesday. The California Highway Patrol reviewed video showing the Tesla changing lanes and slowing to a stop.
The California Highway Patrol said in the December 20 report. 7 reports that it was unable to confirm whether “full self-driving” was active at the time of the accident. A spokesman for the highway patrol told CNN Business on Wednesday that he would not determine if “full autonomous driving” was active and that Tesla would have that information.
RELATED: 8-car accident reverses on Bay Bridge on Thanksgiving; 2 of 16 involved taken to hospital
The accident occurred around lunchtime on Thanksgiving Day, clogging traffic on Interstate 80 east of the Bay Bridge when two lanes of traffic were closed for approximately 90 minutes as many people traveled to holiday events. Four ambulances were called to the scene.
The crash occurred just hours after the Tesla CEO Elon Musk had announced that Tesla’s “complete self-driving” driver assistance software was available to anyone in North America who requested it. Tesla had previously restricted access to drivers with high safety scores in its rating system.
“Full Self-Driving” is designed to keep up with traffic, maneuver in the lane, and obey traffic signals. It requires an attentive human driver ready to take full control of the car at any time. It has delighted some drivers but has also alarmed others with its limitations. Tesla warns drivers when installing “full self-driving” that “you can do the wrong thing at the wrong time.”
The report states that the Tesla Model S was traveling at about 55 mph and moved into the far left lane, but then slammed on the brakes, slowing the car to about 20 mph. That led to a chain reaction that ultimately involved the crash of eight vehicles, all of which had been traveling at typical highway speeds.
Tesla’s driver-assist technologies Autopilot and “fully autonomous driving” are already under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration following reports of unexpected braking that occurs “without warning, random, and, often repeatedly in a single trip”.
The agency has received hundreds of complaints from Tesla drivers. Some have described near misses and concerns about their safety. This summer, NHTSA upgraded the investigation to what it calls an engineering analysis, an indication that it is seriously considering a recall.
NHTSA told CNN Business a few days after the Thanksgiving crash that it was gathering additional information from Tesla and law enforcement about the crash.
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