The cars of Tesla, the electric car company led by Elon Musk, are famous all over the world for their advanced technology and features. But Tesla is under question today. The “Full Self-Driving” feature, which Elon Musk had described as the biggest software upgrade in the history of driving, is now under the scanner of security agencies. The millions of Tesla cars on America’s roads today are part of an experiment that will determine whether machines can really be as good and responsible as humans.
While technology has broken new boundaries in automation, it has now become necessary to ask, have we left safety behind in this race? The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that they Tesla Will conduct a comprehensive investigation of “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software. Due to this, the combination of technology and safety has reached a controversial point.
series of complaints
The investigation began with complaints from drivers. In some cases, cars equipped with FSD systems crossed red lights, some drove on the opposite side of the road, and some even showed inability to stop at railway crossings. NHTSA said the investigation will focus on situations in which the system does not give the driver enough time to correct the error. Especially during railway crossings and road crossings.
29 lakh cars under investigation
An NBC News report said that, in many videos, Tesla vehicles were not seen stopping at the railway crossing, or they were seen passing under the railway crossing gates. While the red light was burning or the gate was closing. Such allegations have forced NHTSA to determine the direction of this investigation. The agency says that approximately 29 lakh Tesla cars equipped with FSD technology will be tested.
This investigation is not limited to just a few vehicles. This includes approximately 2.9 million (29 lakh) Tesla vehicles that have FSD software installed. Be it Model 3 or Model X, if it has FSD feature, then it comes under scrutiny. NHTSA clarified that in this the complete condition of the vehicles will be examined, how they respond in full self-driving condition.
What does Elon Musk say?
Meanwhile, Tesla chief Elon Musk is not tired of praising FSD on social media. He shared several tweets and posts claiming that FSD v14.1 drove autonomously for about an hour through Los Angeles traffic, on city streets and highways, among pedestrians and ongoing construction work on the road. Without any manual intervention.
Musk also shared a video of an incident in which a Tesla car entered and exited a multi-storey mall parking lot in self-driving mode. This entire process happened without any human help. Certainly, such posts by Musk arouse a lot of enthusiasm among Tesla supporters. But NHTSA needs evidence, not enthusiasm. And if safety standards are violated, accountability will have to be fixed.
What is full self-driving technology?
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology is an advanced autopilot system, which is designed in such a way that the car can drive, turn, overtake and park on its own. This system detects traffic, signals, lane markings and pedestrians on the road through cameras, ultrasonic sensors and neural network based software. Although its name is “Full Self-Driving”, it is not completely autonomous. This means that the driver has to be alert at all times and ready to take control when needed.
Technology and responsibility
A big question hidden in this whole controversy is that, when we talk about “semi-autonomous” driving, to what extent is the technology reliable, and where is there any chance for humans to intervene? NHTSA’s investigation will attempt to determine whether and in how many unsafe situations drivers receive a warning, and whether sufficient time remains after that warning.
The purpose of this article is not merely criticism. This is also a warning that even if future driving is automated, it is important to assign responsibility. If there is any flaw in the technology, then it is the responsibility of both the vehicle manufacturer and the rule makers to keep the safety of the citizens paramount. It remains to be seen what the NHTSA report will say, and how Tesla will be able to manage its reputation and trust.
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