WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Federal investigators have closed their probe of a fatal crash that involved a Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) car eight months ago. The regulators said they have found no safety defects in the vehicle's automated driving system and that Tesla's Autopilot-enabled vehicles did not need to be recalled.
On May 7, 2016, a 2015 Tesla Model S car collided with a tractor trailer that was crossing an uncontrolled intersection on a highway west of Williston, Florida, resulting in the death of the Tesla driver, Joshua Brown. The driver was killed while operating the vehicle in 'Autopilot' mode.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its examination did not identify any defects in the design or performance of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) or Autopilot systems of the vehicle nor any incidents in which the systems did not perform as designed.
According to the NHTSA, its crash reconstruction indicated that the tractor trailer should have been visible to the Tesla driver for at least seven seconds prior to impact. The regulator suggested that Brown could have anticipated the crash with at least seven seconds to react.
The outcome of the six-month investigation gives Tesla a major reprieve as its automated driving technology came under intense scrutiny after the crash.
However, the regulators warned Tesla and other automakers to make it clear to drivers about how to use the semi-automated technology and that semi-automated cars are not capable of fully driving themselves.
'Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, such as Tesla's Autopilot, require the continual and full attention of the driver to monitor the traffic environment and be prepared to take action to avoid crashes. Automated Emergency Braking systems have been developed to aid in avoiding or mitigating rear-end collisions,' the NHTSA said.
The agency noted that Tesla's design included a hands-on the steering wheel system for monitoring driver engagement and that the system has been updated to further reinforce the need for driver engagement through a 'strike out' strategy.
'Drivers that do not respond to visual cues in the driver monitoring system alerts may 'strike out' and lose Autopilot function for the remainder of the drive cycle,' the NHTSA noted.
The NHTSA said it closed the investigation as a safety-related defect trend was not identified and further examination of the issue did not appear to be warranted.
In reaction to the NHTSA report, Tesla said, 'At Tesla, the safety of our customers comes first, and we appreciate the thoroughness of NHTSA's report and its conclusion.'
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX