Tesla cars with Autopilot register 273 crashes in US in less than year

Tesla, the electric carmaker which boasts of full self-driving mode called Autopilot has found its cars involved in 273 crashes in less than year. Report released by US auto-safety watchdog National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that these crashes took place in just 10 months. The data collected for the report was taken from July 1 last year to May 15 this year. The NHTSA report was released on Wednesday (June 15).

Self-driving mode is not unique to Tesla cars but it is often touted to be one of the most ambitious offerings from the carmaker.

Last week, US regulators expanded probe into Tesla's 'Autopilot' system to investigate whether "Autopilot and associated Tesla systems may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver's supervision,"

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NHTSA had described the probe as "engineering analysis"

NHTSA opened the probe in August 2021 after identifying 11 crashes involving a first responder vehicle and a Tesla in which Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control was engaged, and five additional cases were later found that fit into this group.

Additional forensic data on 11 of the incidents showed the drivers took no action to avert a crash between two and five seconds prior to impact, although they had their hands on the steering wheel.

The agency also probed more than 100 crashes not involving an emergency vehicle in which Tesla Autopilot or another driver-assistance system was engaged.

NHTSA said that in about half of these cases evidence suggested that the driver was "insufficiently responsive" to driving conditions.

There was no immediate comment from Tesla after NHTSA made the latest report public

(With inputs from agencies)

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