Tesla&nbsp;said that the&nbsp;scrutiny of wreckage from a fatal crash in Texas indicated that someone was at the wheel, contrary to an early report that the driver's seat was empty.

During an earnings call on Monday, the electric car maker led by Elon Musk defended itself anew against a report that a&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;had been fooled into driving with no one behind the wheel, with tragic results.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-how-safe-are-self-driving-cars-378886/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"It was claimed to be autopilot, but this is completely false," Musk responded while fielding questions.

Tesla&nbsp;has been working with federal and state investigators, and a study of the wreckage indicated there was someone at the wheel at the time of the impact, according to vice president of vehicle engineering&nbsp;Lars Moravy.

"We were able to find that the steering wheel was indeed deformed, leading to a likelihood that someone was in the driver's seat at the time of the crash," Moravy said on the call.

Tesla's auto-steer feature was not engaged, and all the seat belts were found to be unbuckled after the crash, according Moravy.

Tesla&nbsp;came under renewed scrutiny last week following a report its cars could be fooled into driving with no one behind the wheel, with two senators demanding a vigorous federal probe of the crash.

The accident, which killed two people, involved a&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;Model S that caught fire after hitting a tree late on April 17 near Houston. Investigators found no one in the driver's seat of the vehicle, local police said.

The developments added to questions about the high-flying electric car maker led by the mercurial Musk, who said last week that data logs show Autopilot was not engaged during the Texas crash.&nbsp;

On its website,&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;describes Autopilot as a driver enhancement system that, despite its name, requires a human operator.

"Autopilot enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane," the website says. "Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous."

But engineers from Consumer Reports "easily tricked"&nbsp;Tesla's Autopilot to drive without anyone in the driver's seat, "a scenario that would present extreme danger if it were repeated on public roads," the magazine said on its website last week.

(With inputs from agencies)

Tesla said that the scrutiny of wreckage from a fatal crash in Texas indicated that someone was at the wheel, contrary to an early report that the driver's seat was empty.

Tesla said that the scrutiny of wreckage from a fatal crash in Texas indicated that someone was at the wheel, contrary to an early report that the driver's seat was empty. During an earnings call on Monday, the electric car maker led by Elon Musk defended itself anew against a report that a Tesla had been fooled into driving with no one behind the wheel, with tragic results. "It was claimed to be autopilot, but this is completely false," Musk responded while fielding questions. Tesla has been working with federal and state investigators, and a study of the wreckage indicated there was someone at the wheel at the time of the impact, according to vice president of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy. "We were able to find that the steering wheel was indeed deformed, leading to a likelihood that someone was in the driver's seat at the time of the crash," Moravy said on the call. Tesla's auto-steer feature was not engaged, and all the seat belts were found to be unbuckled after the crash, according Moravy. Tesla came under renewed scrutiny last week following a report its cars could be fooled into driving with no one behind the wheel, with two senators demanding a vigorous federal probe of the crash. The accident, which killed two people, involved a Tesla Model S that caught fire after hitting a tree late on April 17 near Houston. Investigators found no one in the driver's seat of the vehicle, local police said. The developments added to questions about the high-flying electric car maker led by the mercurial Musk, who said last week that data logs show Autopilot was not engaged during the Texas crash. On its website, Tesla describes Autopilot as a driver enhancement system that, despite its name, requires a human operator. "Autopilot enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane," the website says. "Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous." But engineers from Consumer Reports "easily tricked" Tesla's Autopilot to drive without anyone in the driver's seat, "a scenario that would present extreme danger if it were repeated on public roads," the magazine said on its website last week. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's Tesla says it appears driver was at the wheel in crash

One of the two victims killed in Texas at the weekend in the crash of a&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;car believed to have operated without a driver was William Varner, a doctor, his employer said on Tuesday.

Police in Harris County, Texas, said a&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;Model S smashed into a tree on Saturday at high speed after failing to negotiate a bend and burst into flames, killing one occupant found in the front passenger seat and the owner in the back seat.

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Witnesses told the police that the accident happened shortly after the victims left a house, saying they would test automated driving capability.

"Dr Varner was a tremendous human being who personally impacted many...,"&nbsp;The Woodlands Medical Center said in a statement. "He will be dearly missed by so many.”

Varner, a 58-year-old anesthesiologist, graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston in 1988.&nbsp;The other victim, who was born in 1951, was not identified as of Tuesday.

Tesla&nbsp;Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Monday that preliminary data downloaded by&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;indicate the vehicle was not operating on Autopilot, and was not part of the automaker's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) system.

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Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle <a href="https://t.co/6lGy52wVhC">https://t.co/6lGy52wVhC</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1383548841438236674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Tesla's Autopilot and FSD, as well as the growing number of similar semi-autonomous driving functions in cars made by other automakers, present a challenge to officials responsible for motor vehicle and highway safety.

US&nbsp;federal road safety authority, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has yet to issue specific regulations or performance standards for semi-autonomous systems such as Autopilot, or fully autonomous vehicles (AVs).

There are no NHTSA rules requiring carmakers to ensure systems are used as intended or to stop drivers misusing them. The only significant federal limitation is that vehicles have steering wheels and human controls required under federal rules.

With no performance or technical standards, systems such as Autopilot inhabit a regulatory grey area.

The Texas crash follows a string of crashes involving&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;cars being driven on Autopilot, its partially automated driving system which performs a range of functions such as helping drivers stay in lanes and steer on highways.

Tesla&nbsp;has also rolled out what it describes as a "beta" version of its FSD system to about 2,000 customers since October, effectively allowing them to test how well it works on public roads.

Harris County police are now seeking a search warrant for the&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;data and said witnesses told them the victims intended to test the car's automated driving.

No requirements

Adding to the regulatory confusion is that traditionally NHTSA regulates vehicle safety while departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) in individual states oversee drivers.

When it comes to semi-autonomous functions, it may not be apparent whether the onboard computer or the driver are controlling the car, or if the supervision is shared, says the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

California has introduced AV regulations but they only apply to cars equipped with technology that can perform the dynamic driving task without the active physical control or monitoring of a human operator, the state's DMV said.

It said&nbsp;Tesla's full self-driving system does not yet meet those standards and is considered a type of Advance Driver Assistance System that it does not regulate.

That leaves&nbsp;Tesla's Autopilot and its FSD system operating in regulatory limbo in California as the automaker rolls out new versions of the systems for its customers to test.

NHTSA, the federal body responsible for vehicle safety, said this week it has opened 28 investigations into crashes of&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;vehicles, 24 of which remain active, and at least four, including the fatal Texas accident, occurred since March.&nbsp;

NHTSA has repeatedly argued that its broad authority to demand automakers recall any vehicle that poses an unreasonable safety risk is sufficient to address driver assistance systems.

So far, NHTSA has not taken any enforcement action against&nbsp;Tesla's advanced driving systems.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said NHTSA is "actively engaged with&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;and local law enforcement" on the Texas crash.

The NTSB, a US&nbsp;government agency charged with investigating road accidents, has criticised NHTSA's hands-off approach to regulating cars with self-driving features and AVs.

"NHTSA refuses to take action for vehicles termed as having partial, or lower level, automation, and continues to wait for higher levels of automation before requiring that AV systems meet minimum national standards," NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt wrote in a February&nbsp;1 letter to NHTSA.

"Because NHTSA has put in place no requirements, manufacturers can operate and test vehicles virtually anywhere, even if the location exceeds the AV control systems limitations," the letter said.

Reviewing regulations

NHTSA told Reuters that with a new administration in place, it was reviewing regulations around AVs and welcomed the NTSB's input as it advanced policies on automated driving systems.

It said the most advanced vehicle technologies on sale required a fully attentive human driver at all times.

"Abusing these technologies is, at a minimum, distracted driving. Every State in the nation holds the driver responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle," NHTSA told Reuters.

NTSB also says NHTSA does not have any method to verify whether carmakers have adopted system safeguards. For example, there are no federal regulations requiring drivers to touch the steering wheel within a specific time frame.

"NHTSA is drafting rules on autonomous vehicles, but it has been slow to regulate semi-autonomous vehicles," said Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina. "There is a growing awareness that they deserve more scrutiny priority and regulatory action."

New York has a law requiring drivers to keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times but no other states have legislation that could prevent the use of semi-autonomous cars.

When it comes to AVs, 35 states have enacted legislation or state governors have signed executive orders covering AVs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Such rules allow companies such as Alphabet's Google and General Motors, among others, to test their Waymo and Cruise vehicles on public roads.

But regulations differ by state.

AV regulations in Texas state that vehicles must comply with NHTSA processes, though there are no such federal regulations. The Texas Department of Public Safety, the regulator charged with overseeing AVs, did not respond to a request for comment.

Arizona's transport department requires companies to submit regular filings to verify, among other things, that vehicles can operate safely if the autonomous technology fails.

While most automakers offer vehicles with various forms of assisted driving, there are no fully autonomous vehicles for sale to customers in the United States.

Red flags

Concerns about the safety of autonomous driving technology, however, have been mounting in recent years and&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;has warned about its limitations.

In February 2020,&nbsp;Tesla's director of autonomous driving technology, Andrej Karpathy, identified a challenge for its Autopilot system: how to recognize when a parked police car's emergency flashing lights are turned on.

"This is an example of a new task we would like to know about," Karpathy said at a conference during a talk about&nbsp;Tesla's effort to deliver FSD technology.

In just over a year since then,&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;vehicles crashed into police cars parked on roads on four separate occasions and since 2016 at least three&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;vehicles operating on Autopilot have been in fatal crashes.

At least three of the cars were on Autopilot, police said. In one of the cases, a doctor was watching a movie on a phone when his vehicle rammed into a police trooper in North Carolina.

Accidents and investigations have not slowed Musk's drive to promote&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;cars as capable of driving themselves.

In a recent Tweet, Musk said&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;is "almost ready with FSD Beta V9.0. Step change improvement is massive, especially for weird corner cases &amp; bad weather. Pure vision, no radar."

Tesla&nbsp;also says it has used 1 million cars on the road to collect image data and improve Autopilot, using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Tesla's Karpathy said he has ridden in his&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;for 20 minutes to get coffee in Palo Alto with no intervention.

"It is not a perfect system but it is getting there," he said in a "Robot Brains" podcast in March. "I definitely keep my hands on the wheel."

(With input from agencies)

One of the two victims killed in Texas at the weekend in the crash of a Tesla car believed to have operated without a driver was William Varner, a doctor, his employer said on Tuesday.

One of the two victims killed in Texas at the weekend in the crash of a Tesla car believed to have operated without a driver was William Varner, a doctor, his employer said on Tuesday. Police in Harris County, Texas, said a Tesla Model S smashed into a tree on Saturday at high speed after failing to negotiate a bend and burst into flames, killing one occupant found in the front passenger seat and the owner in the back seat. Witnesses told the police that the accident happened shortly after the victims left a house, saying they would test automated driving capability. "Dr Varner was a tremendous human being who personally impacted many...," The Woodlands Medical Center said in a statement. "He will be dearly missed by so many.” Varner, a 58-year-old anesthesiologist, graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston in 1988. The other victim, who was born in 1951, was not identified as of Tuesday. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Monday that preliminary data downloaded by Tesla indicate the vehicle was not operating on Autopilot, and was not part of the automaker's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) system. Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle https://t.co/6lGy52wVhC — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2021 × Tesla's Autopilot and FSD, as well as the growing number of similar semi-autonomous driving functions in cars made by other automakers, present a challenge to officials responsible for motor vehicle and highway safety. US federal road safety authority, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has yet to issue specific regulations or performance standards for semi-autonomous systems such as Autopilot, or fully autonomous vehicles (AVs). There are no NHTSA rules requiring carmakers to ensure systems are used as intended or to stop drivers misusing them. The only significant federal limitation is that vehicles have steering wheels and human controls required under federal rules. With no performance or technical standards, systems such as Autopilot inhabit a regulatory grey area. The Texas crash follows a string of crashes involving Tesla cars being driven on Autopilot, its partially automated driving system which performs a range of functions such as helping drivers stay in lanes and steer on highways. Tesla has also rolled out what it describes as a "beta" version of its FSD system to about 2,000 customers since October, effectively allowing them to test how well it works on public roads. Harris County police are now seeking a search warrant for the Tesla data and said witnesses told them the victims intended to test the car's automated driving. No requirements Adding to the regulatory confusion is that traditionally NHTSA regulates vehicle safety while departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) in individual states oversee drivers. When it comes to semi-autonomous functions, it may not be apparent whether the onboard computer or the driver are controlling the car, or if the supervision is shared, says the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). California has introduced AV regulations but they only apply to cars equipped with technology that can perform the dynamic driving task without the active physical control or monitoring of a human operator, the state's DMV said. It said Tesla's full self-driving system does not yet meet those standards and is considered a type of Advance Driver Assistance System that it does not regulate. That leaves Tesla's Autopilot and its FSD system operating in regulatory limbo in California as the automaker rolls out new versions of the systems for its customers to test. NHTSA, the federal body responsible for vehicle safety, said this week it has opened 28 investigations into crashes of Tesla vehicles, 24 of which remain active, and at least four, including the fatal Texas accident, occurred since March. NHTSA has repeatedly argued that its broad authority to demand automakers recall any vehicle that poses an unreasonable safety risk is sufficient to address driver assistance systems. So far, NHTSA has not taken any enforcement action against Tesla's advanced driving systems. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said NHTSA is "actively engaged with Tesla and local law enforcement" on the Texas crash. The NTSB, a US government agency charged with investigating road accidents, has criticised NHTSA's hands-off approach to regulating cars with self-driving features and AVs. "NHTSA refuses to take action for vehicles termed as having partial, or lower level, automation, and continues to wait for higher levels of automation before requiring that AV systems meet minimum national standards," NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt wrote in a February 1 letter to NHTSA. "Because NHTSA has put in place no requirements, manufacturers can operate and test vehicles virtually anywhere, even if the location exceeds the AV control systems limitations," the letter said. Reviewing regulations NHTSA told Reuters that with a new administration in place, it was reviewing regulations around AVs and welcomed the NTSB's input as it advanced policies on automated driving systems. It said the most advanced vehicle technologies on sale required a fully attentive human driver at all times. "Abusing these technologies is, at a minimum, distracted driving. Every State in the nation holds the driver responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle," NHTSA told Reuters. NTSB also says NHTSA does not have any method to verify whether carmakers have adopted system safeguards. For example, there are no federal regulations requiring drivers to touch the steering wheel within a specific time frame. "NHTSA is drafting rules on autonomous vehicles, but it has been slow to regulate semi-autonomous vehicles," said Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina. "There is a growing awareness that they deserve more scrutiny priority and regulatory action." New York has a law requiring drivers to keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times but no other states have legislation that could prevent the use of semi-autonomous cars. When it comes to AVs, 35 states have enacted legislation or state governors have signed executive orders covering AVs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Such rules allow companies such as Alphabet's Google and General Motors, among others, to test their Waymo and Cruise vehicles on public roads. But regulations differ by state. AV regulations in Texas state that vehicles must comply with NHTSA processes, though there are no such federal regulations. The Texas Department of Public Safety, the regulator charged with overseeing AVs, did not respond to a request for comment. Arizona's transport department requires companies to submit regular filings to verify, among other things, that vehicles can operate safely if the autonomous technology fails. While most automakers offer vehicles with various forms of assisted driving, there are no fully autonomous vehicles for sale to customers in the United States. Red flags Concerns about the safety of autonomous driving technology, however, have been mounting in recent years and Tesla has warned about its limitations. In February 2020, Tesla's director of autonomous driving technology, Andrej Karpathy, identified a challenge for its Autopilot system: how to recognize when a parked police car's emergency flashing lights are turned on. "This is an example of a new task we would like to know about," Karpathy said at a conference during a talk about Tesla's effort to deliver FSD technology. In just over a year since then, Tesla vehicles crashed into police cars parked on roads on four separate occasions and since 2016 at least three Tesla vehicles operating on Autopilot have been in fatal crashes. At least three of the cars were on Autopilot, police said. In one of the cases, a doctor was watching a movie on a phone when his vehicle rammed into a police trooper in North Carolina. Accidents and investigations have not slowed Musk's drive to promote Tesla cars as capable of driving themselves. In a recent Tweet, Musk said Tesla is "almost ready with FSD Beta V9.0. Step change improvement is massive, especially for weird corner cases & bad weather. Pure vision, no radar." Tesla also says it has used 1 million cars on the road to collect image data and improve Autopilot, using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Tesla's Karpathy said he has ridden in his Tesla for 20 minutes to get coffee in Palo Alto with no intervention. "It is not a perfect system but it is getting there," he said in a "Robot Brains" podcast in March. "I definitely keep my hands on the wheel." (With input from agencies)

Doctor among victims of lethal Tesla car crash in Texas

Two US transportation regulators said Monday they will investigate a fatal car crash involving a&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;that apparently had no one behind the wheel.

The vehicle was speeding when it hit a tree late Saturday night in Spring, Texas, near Houston. It caught fire, destroying the car entirely and killing two men, police said.

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Mark Herman, Harris County Constable Precinct 4, said evidence including witness statements clearly indicated there was nobody in the driver's seat of the Model S when it crashed into a tree, killing two people, on Saturday night.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it "immediately launched a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash."

"We are actively engaged with local law enforcement and&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;to learn more about the details of the crash and will take appropriate steps when we have more information," the agency said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-dead-as-tesla-car-believed-to-be-driverless-crashes-in-texas-378510">Two dead as Tesla car believed to be driverless crashes in Texas</a>

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Twitter it had dispatched two investigators to the scene, who "will focus on the vehicle's operation and the post-crash fire. NTSB investigators will arrive in the area later this afternoon."

As of Sunday, local investigators had not determined whether the driver's side airbag deployed, or if the vehicle's driver assistance system was deployed at the time of the accident.

The circumstances of the accident have provoked numerous reactions on social media, re-launching the debate on&nbsp;Tesla's existing semi-autonomous capabilities, such as the "Autopilot" software that allows the car to park on its own or navigate on the highway.

People can also buy a more expensive version called "FSD," for "full self-driving," even though the driver is not supposed to let go of the steering wheel.

The crash is the 28th Telsa accident to be investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which regulates vehicle safety.

It is also being probed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which removed&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;as a party to an earlier investigation into a fatal crash in 2018 after the company made public details of the probe without authorisation.

In Saturday's accident, the 2019&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;Model S was traveling at high-speed near Houston when it failed to negotiate a curve and went off the road, crashing into a tree and bursting into flames, Herman said.

Authorities found the bodies of two men in the car, one in the front passenger seat and the owner of the car in the backseat.

"We have witness statements from people that said they left to test drive the vehicle without a driver and to show the friend how it can drive itself," Herman said.

Tesla's Autopilot is a driver assistance system that handles some driving tasks and allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel at times, but&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;says its features "require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous."

Tesla boss Musk rejected the idea that the vehicle's semi-automated driving software was to blame: "Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled &amp; this car did not purchase FSD," in a reference to Full Self-Driving,&nbsp;Tesla's separate beta semi-automated driver assistance system that still requires driver supervision.

Musk added that "standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on, which this street did not have," referring to road markers that need to be captured by a vehicle's cameras to enable autopilot.

Tesla&nbsp;has access to operational and diagnostic data delivered to its servers at "regular intervals" from the car, which has been impounded by police. It is unclear whether investigators will be able to retrieve data directly from the event data recorder in the severely burned vehicle.

Tesla&nbsp;warns that driver assistance systems Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability do not make the vehicles autonomous, and that active supervision is still required.

Musk, however, regularly praises advances made by his company in self-driving technology.

Just hours before the crash, Musk had tweeted: "Tesla&nbsp;with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle."

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Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle <a href="https://t.co/6lGy52wVhC">https://t.co/6lGy52wVhC</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1383548841438236674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Tesla's Autopilot system, which was operating in at least three&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;vehicles involved in fatal US&nbsp;crashes since 2016, has come under increasing scrutiny.

(With inputs from agencies)

Two US transportation regulators said Monday they will investigate a fatal car crash involving a Tesla that apparently had no one behind the wheel. The vehicle was speeding when it hit a tree late Saturday night in Spring, Texas, near Houston.

Two US transportation regulators said Monday they will investigate a fatal car crash involving a Tesla that apparently had no one behind the wheel. The vehicle was speeding when it hit a tree late Saturday night in Spring, Texas, near Houston. It caught fire, destroying the car entirely and killing two men, police said. Mark Herman, Harris County Constable Precinct 4, said evidence including witness statements clearly indicated there was nobody in the driver's seat of the Model S when it crashed into a tree, killing two people, on Saturday night. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it "immediately launched a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash." "We are actively engaged with local law enforcement and Tesla to learn more about the details of the crash and will take appropriate steps when we have more information," the agency said. Also read| Two dead as Tesla car believed to be driverless crashes in Texas The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Twitter it had dispatched two investigators to the scene, who "will focus on the vehicle's operation and the post-crash fire. NTSB investigators will arrive in the area later this afternoon." As of Sunday, local investigators had not determined whether the driver's side airbag deployed, or if the vehicle's driver assistance system was deployed at the time of the accident. The circumstances of the accident have provoked numerous reactions on social media, re-launching the debate on Tesla's existing semi-autonomous capabilities, such as the "Autopilot" software that allows the car to park on its own or navigate on the highway. People can also buy a more expensive version called "FSD," for "full self-driving," even though the driver is not supposed to let go of the steering wheel. The crash is the 28th Telsa accident to be investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which regulates vehicle safety. It is also being probed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which removed Tesla as a party to an earlier investigation into a fatal crash in 2018 after the company made public details of the probe without authorisation. In Saturday's accident, the 2019 Tesla Model S was traveling at high-speed near Houston when it failed to negotiate a curve and went off the road, crashing into a tree and bursting into flames, Herman said. Authorities found the bodies of two men in the car, one in the front passenger seat and the owner of the car in the backseat. "We have witness statements from people that said they left to test drive the vehicle without a driver and to show the friend how it can drive itself," Herman said. Tesla's Autopilot is a driver assistance system that handles some driving tasks and allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel at times, but Tesla says its features "require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous." Tesla boss Musk rejected the idea that the vehicle's semi-automated driving software was to blame: "Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled & this car did not purchase FSD," in a reference to Full Self-Driving, Tesla's separate beta semi-automated driver assistance system that still requires driver supervision. Musk added that "standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on, which this street did not have," referring to road markers that need to be captured by a vehicle's cameras to enable autopilot. Tesla has access to operational and diagnostic data delivered to its servers at "regular intervals" from the car, which has been impounded by police. It is unclear whether investigators will be able to retrieve data directly from the event data recorder in the severely burned vehicle. Tesla warns that driver assistance systems Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability do not make the vehicles autonomous, and that active supervision is still required. Musk, however, regularly praises advances made by his company in self-driving technology. Just hours before the crash, Musk had tweeted: "Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle." Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle https://t.co/6lGy52wVhC — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2021 × Tesla's Autopilot system, which was operating in at least three Tesla vehicles involved in fatal US crashes since 2016, has come under increasing scrutiny. (With inputs from agencies)

US regulators probe possibly driverless Tesla crash as Musk denies Autopilot use

Automakers are using tiny cameras, sensors to track drooping heads, steering wheel monitors and audible alerts to ensure drivers pay attention when using advanced driver assistance systems, like Tesla&rsquo;s Autopilot, that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel.

In a report this week on the May 2016 crash of a Tesla Model S that killed a driver who was using Autopilot, the National Transportation Safety Board demonstrated that users could mostly keep their hands off the wheel for extended periods despite repeated warnings from the vehicle.

But the crash underscored a vexing problem for automakers that want to gain an edge by launching technology that completely automates driving tasks. Unless a car is capable of driving itself safely in every situation, drivers will still have to remain alert and ready to take control even if the car is piloting itself.

The NTSB, the federal agency charged with investigating significant transportation accidents, said during a 37-minute section of the 41-minute Tesla trip, the driver kept his hands on the wheel for just 25 seconds, putting his hands on the wheel for one to three-second increments after getting repeated visual and audible warnings.

General Motors delayed the introduction of a driver assistance technology called Super Cruise that was initially planned for late last year because it said it was not ready.

The technology will go on sale this fall. Barry Walkup, chief engineer of Super Cruise, said the company added &quot;a driver attention function, to insist on driver supervision.&quot;

The system uses a small camera that focuses on the driver and works with infrared lights to track head position to determine where the driver is looking.

If the system - which uses facial recognition software - detects the driver is not paying attention, it will prompt the driver to return attention to the road. If the driver does not respond, it will escalate alerts, including a steering wheel light bar, visual indicators, tactile alerts in the seat and audible alerts. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle is brought to a controlled stop.

Volkswagen AG&#39;s luxury Audi unit has a system that handles steering and braking at speeds of up to 40 miles. The system requires the driver to check in with the steering wheel every 15 seconds. Audi said the system will beep alerts at the driver, and if the driver does not respond, it will bring the vehicle to a stop.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is the lead agency for regulating self-driving cars, does not test or preapprove driver assistance systems before automakers install them. Instead, the agency responds to complaints or crashes when it investigates whether a potential defect poses an unreasonable risk to driver safety. The May 2016 Tesla accident has raised concerns about the regulation of self-driving cars.&nbsp;

The NTSB will issue probable cause findings and may make recommendations to the NHTSA in the Tesla crash but does not plan to hold a public hearing on the incident, spokesman Keith Holloway said.

In September 2016, Tesla unveiled new restrictions on Autopilot after widespread concerns the system lulled users into a false sense of security through its &quot;hands-off&quot; driving capability. The updated system temporarily prevents drivers from using the system if they do not respond to audible warnings to take back control of the car.

The car sounds warnings if drivers take their hands off the wheel for more than a minute at speeds above 45 miles per hour (72 kph) when there is no vehicle ahead, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk told reporters in September. If the driver ignores three audible warnings in an hour, the system temporarily shuts off until it is parked.

Musk said at the time that autopilot accidents are far more likely for expert users of the system, saying some users got as many as 10 warnings in an hour under the prior system. &ldquo;It&#39;s not the neophytes, it&#39;s the experts. They get very comfortable with it and repeatedly ignore the car&#39;s warnings and in effect, it becomes like a reflex action,&rdquo; Musk said.

Tesla monitors drivers through their interactions with the steering wheel, turn signal, and speed setting, NHTSA said in a separate report.

Alphabet&#39;s Waymo unit, which is also working on self-driving technology, is taking a different approach, arguing that asking drivers to pay attention while the car drives itself is wrong.

Waymo is focusing its efforts on fully autonomous vehicles where humans take no part in driving, rather driver assistance. &quot;We&#39;re not seeking to build a better car. Our goal is to build a better driver,&quot; Waymo Chief Executive Officer John Krafcik said earlier this year.

Alphabet's Waymo unit, which is also working on self-driving technology, is taking a different approach, arguing that asking drivers to pay attention while the car drives itself is wrong

Automakers are using tiny cameras, sensors to track drooping heads, steering wheel monitors and audible alerts to ensure drivers pay attention when using advanced driver assistance systems, like Tesla’s Autopilot, that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel. In a report this week on the May 2016 crash of a Tesla Model S that killed a driver who was using Autopilot, the National Transportation Safety Board demonstrated that users could mostly keep their hands off the wheel for extended periods despite repeated warnings from the vehicle. But the crash underscored a vexing problem for automakers that want to gain an edge by launching technology that completely automates driving tasks. Unless a car is capable of driving itself safely in every situation, drivers will still have to remain alert and ready to take control even if the car is piloting itself. The NTSB, the federal agency charged with investigating significant transportation accidents, said during a 37-minute section of the 41-minute Tesla trip, the driver kept his hands on the wheel for just 25 seconds, putting his hands on the wheel for one to three-second increments after getting repeated visual and audible warnings. General Motors delayed the introduction of a driver assistance technology called Super Cruise that was initially planned for late last year because it said it was not ready. The technology will go on sale this fall. Barry Walkup, chief engineer of Super Cruise, said the company added "a driver attention function, to insist on driver supervision." The system uses a small camera that focuses on the driver and works with infrared lights to track head position to determine where the driver is looking. If the system - which uses facial recognition software - detects the driver is not paying attention, it will prompt the driver to return attention to the road. If the driver does not respond, it will escalate alerts, including a steering wheel light bar, visual indicators, tactile alerts in the seat and audible alerts. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle is brought to a controlled stop. Volkswagen AG's luxury Audi unit has a system that handles steering and braking at speeds of up to 40 miles. The system requires the driver to check in with the steering wheel every 15 seconds. Audi said the system will beep alerts at the driver, and if the driver does not respond, it will bring the vehicle to a stop. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is the lead agency for regulating self-driving cars, does not test or preapprove driver assistance systems before automakers install them. Instead, the agency responds to complaints or crashes when it investigates whether a potential defect poses an unreasonable risk to driver safety. The May 2016 Tesla accident has raised concerns about the regulation of self-driving cars. The NTSB will issue probable cause findings and may make recommendations to the NHTSA in the Tesla crash but does not plan to hold a public hearing on the incident, spokesman Keith Holloway said. In September 2016, Tesla unveiled new restrictions on Autopilot after widespread concerns the system lulled users into a false sense of security through its "hands-off" driving capability. The updated system temporarily prevents drivers from using the system if they do not respond to audible warnings to take back control of the car. The car sounds warnings if drivers take their hands off the wheel for more than a minute at speeds above 45 miles per hour (72 kph) when there is no vehicle ahead, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk told reporters in September. If the driver ignores three audible warnings in an hour, the system temporarily shuts off until it is parked. Musk said at the time that autopilot accidents are far more likely for expert users of the system, saying some users got as many as 10 warnings in an hour under the prior system. “It's not the neophytes, it's the experts. They get very comfortable with it and repeatedly ignore the car's warnings and in effect, it becomes like a reflex action,” Musk said. Tesla monitors drivers through their interactions with the steering wheel, turn signal, and speed setting, NHTSA said in a separate report. Alphabet's Waymo unit, which is also working on self-driving technology, is taking a different approach, arguing that asking drivers to pay attention while the car drives itself is wrong. Waymo is focusing its efforts on fully autonomous vehicles where humans take no part in driving, rather driver assistance. "We're not seeking to build a better car. Our goal is to build a better driver," Waymo Chief Executive Officer John Krafcik said earlier this year.

Tesla, others seek ways to ensure drivers keep their hands on the wheel