Tesla Crash Prompts New Safety Recommendations

Feb. 25, 2020—The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday to establish the probable cause of a fatal March 2018 Tesla Autopilot crash in California and will issue a series of safety recommendations, reported Reuters.

The NTSB issued recommendations after other Tesla Autopilot crashes and planned to reiterate some of the guidance. 

In September, the NTSB said California should ensure timely repairs of highway traffic safety equipment. California had failed to repair the attenuator after a crash 11 days before the one involving Walter Huang. The attenuator is designed to absorb crash forces before a vehicle hits a concrete median barrier.

Caltrans spokesman Matt Rocco said in the report that the agency “is implementing several steps to enhance monitoring and tracking of the repair of damage to highway infrastructure.” The efforts include “enhanced reporting on the timely repair of high priority traffic safety devices.”