Tesla leads in driver assisted technology crashes — U.S. data

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tesla Inc reported 273 vehicle crashes since July involving advanced driving assistance systems, more than any other automaker, according to data U.S. auto safety regulators released on Wednesday.

Automakers and tech companies reported more than 500 crashes since June 2021, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an order requiring the information. But a U.S. safety board said the data was not standardized so it was hard to evaluate performance of each carmaker’s system.

Car companies are rushing to add driver assistance systems, saying these improve safety by handling some maneuvers. U.S. regulators are trying to understand the practical effect of the changes. But automakers collect and report data in different ways, making it difficult to evaluate systems performance.

The current report contains “a ‘fruit bowl’ of data with a lot of caveats, making it difficult for the public and experts alike to understand what is being reported,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement. “Tesla collects a huge amount of high-quality data, which may mean they’re overrepresented in NHTSA’s release.”

Tesla’s advanced driver assistant software dubbed “Full Self Driving” has also created confusion about vehicle capabilities.

NHTSA ordered companies to quickly report all crashes involving advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and vehicles equipped with automated driving systems being tested on public roads.

Of the 392 such crashes reported by a dozen automakers since July, six deaths were reported and five serious injuries. Honda Motor identified 90 crashes.

Companies also reported 130 crashes involving prototype automated driving systems, while 108 involved no injuries and one was a serious injury crash.

NHTSA said Alphabet Inc’s self-driving car unit Waymo reported 62 crashes involving automated driving systems, while General Motors’ Cruise had 23.

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