Tesla shouldn't call driving system Autopilot because humans are still in control, Buttigieg says

Source: Associated Press

Tesla shouldn’t call driving system Autopilot because humans are still in control, Buttigieg says

By TOM KRISHER and HILARY POWELL
May 11, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tesla shouldn’t be calling its partially automated driving system Autopilot because the cars can’t drive themselves, the top U.S. transportation official says.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he’s concerned about Tesla’s marketing of the system, which is under investigation by his department in connection with crashes that have caused at least 14 deaths.

“I don’t think that something should be called, for example, an Autopilot, when the fine print says you need to have your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times,” Buttigieg said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency within Buttigieg’s department, has sent investigative teams to more than 30 crashes since 2016 in which Teslas suspected of operating on Autopilot or its more sophisticated automated Full Self-Driving system have struck pedestrians, motorcyclists, semi trailers and parked emergency vehicles.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/tesla-autopilot-buttigieg-investigation-crash-musk-1455d194b18fe17609554dd68864654c