NHTSA, NTSB probing multiple crashes involving Tesla vehicles.

The AP (3/2, Krisher) reports that NHTSA is joining the NTSB in investigating “a fatal crash involving a Tesla electric car that drove beneath a semitrailer that was crossing a Florida roadway” in Delray Beach on Friday. According to the story, “both agencies likely will be looking into whether Tesla’s Autopilot semiautonomous driving system was in use on [the driver Jeremy] Banner’s Tesla Model 3 at the time” of the collision. Additionally, NHTSA is investigating another fatal crash that took place in Florida on Sunday, February 24, where a Tesla Model S was involved in a fatal crash and fire in Davie, Florida.

        Reuters (3/2, Shepardson) reports that “NHTSA, the auto safety regulator, can demand a recall if it believes a defect poses an unreasonable safety risk, while the NTSB makes safety recommendations.” The two safety agencies “are investigating a number of crashes since 2017 that focus on two primary issues: the role of Tesla’s driver assistance technology Autopilot in accidents and some significant battery fires in the electric vehicles after crashes, including cases of batteries reigniting.” Reuters (3/2, Shepardson, Nomiyama) also reports in another story.

        The Miami Herald (3/2, Vassolo, 728K) reports that “the Feb. 24 crash, which occured along Flamingo Road in Davie, involved a 2016 Tesla Model S” that “left the roadway for unknown reasons, and struck a tree, causing it to catch fire” so badly the car was utterly destroyed.

        HardOCP (3/2, Megalith) reports with additional coverage of the fatal crash in Davie, where “witnesses claim they couldn’t get the driver out because of the vehicle’s door handles not opening and air bags not deflating.”

        The South Florida Sun Sentinel (3/3, Chokey, Krisher, 501K) reports NHTSA “said Saturday that it will send a ‘field team’ to West Delray, where” Banner died on Friday. NTSB spokesman Terry Williams informed the Sun Sentinel on Sunday that it remains uncertain what investigators from the agency will need to examine. He said, “We’re still gathering all the facts. ... We’re going to be looking at all aspects.”

        Bloomberg (3/2, Chuwiruch, 4.73M) reported that NTSB, via its official Twitter page, said that it is dispatching three officials to assist with the investigation of the crash that occurred on Friday, in collaboration with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.

        Ars Technica (3/2, 957K) and Gizmodo (3/2, Keck, 3.49M) report with similar coverage.

        Safety experts worry over Tesla’s use of the terms “autopilot” and “self-driving.” CNN (3/2, McFarland, 84.16M) reports that Tesla is now marketing its vehicles with the add-on option of “full self-driving capability,” which is “drawing criticism from experts on self-driving technology” who “say CEO Elon Musk is playing fast and loose with definitions, overselling the technology and potentially creating safety issues.” For $5,000, Tesla will unlock Autopilot capabilities in a customer’s vehicle, with “‘automatic driving on city streets’ as an update later this year, according to Tesla’s website.” Although the fine print in Tesla’s offer makes it clear that Autopilot is not capable of driving a vehicle without the “active” assistance of a human driver, safety experts say Tesla needs to make it more evident that Autopilot is nothing more than a glorified advanced driver-assistance system. As Raj Rajkumar, who worked on the winning team of the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, says, “Some agency needs to throw the book at Tesla” because their “use of this term [self-driving] is totally irresponsible.”