NHTSA Requests Info on Tesla's Autopilot Response to Emergency Vehicles
Sept. 3, 2021—The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is requesting detailed information on how Tesla's autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles.
In an 11-page request sent to the automaker on Tuesday, the NHTSA said it wants to know how Teslas detect crash scenes and how the system responds to low light conditions, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The request comes after an accident over the weekend in which a Tesla on Autopilot hit a parked Florida State Patrol vehicle on an interstate outside of Orlando. The accident is the 12th instance in which a Tesla hit an emergency vehicle with its lights on. At least 17 people were injured and one was killed in those incidents.
The letter is just one part of a larger investigation into how Tesla's partially automated driving system behaves when around first responder vehicles or other hazards.
