LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Drivers participating in a beta-test program for Tesla’s driverless cars have reported their cars making potentially deadly mistakes, including failing to break for road construction barriers and erratic steering.
California lawmakers and agency administrators have voiced concerns over the danger of the Department of Motor Vehicles’ perceived reticence to address the problem.
Last week, State Senator Lena Gonzalez (D.-Long Beach), who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, sent a letter to DMV Director Steve Gordon to inquire into what steps the agency was taking to ensure autonomous vehicle safety.
In the letter, Gonzalez pointed to reports of poor performance among Tesla’s fleet of “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) beta vehicles, a $10,000 add-on which gives owners advanced automated driving features and the opportunity to test them on public roads.
“I have seen a number of videos of Tesla vehicles operating with FSD engaged where it appears that serious driving errors were made and collisions were avoided only because of swift action by the driver,” Gonzalez wrote.
She asked the DMV to report on data it has collected on FSD beta safety, and how the agency planned to address potential concerns.
In an interview with KNX’s “In Depth,” technology and transportation reporter Sean O’Kane of The Verge said the DMV’s perceived inaction on autonomous-vehicle safety has a lot to do with the agency’s positioning on a cutting-edge frontier.
“I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that these agencies … have just never really dealt with anything like this before,” O’Kane told KNX.
Find out why O’Kane believes carmakers are taking advantage of “wiggle room” when reporting safety data to the DMV and why he believes federal traffic regulators are making this a top priority by listening to the KNX In Depth podcast above.
He also noted that Tesla had the greatest incentive of all to address safety issues. Most American automakers view themselves as exposed to the greatest deal of liability in the event of catastrophic safety failures in vehicles they manufacture.
“It’s on the automaker to step up,” he said. “That’s why we have the recall system.”
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