NTSB determines probable causes of fatal March 2018 Tesla crash

In continuing coverage, Ride (3/2, Wakelin) reports that the NTSB “held a public board meeting and issued nine new safety recommendations after its investigation into the fatal crash of a Tesla Model X using Autopilot, according to its press release.” The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the “Autopilot steering the car into the crash attenuator combined with the driver’s lack of response due to distraction from his cell phone.” The NTSB “also determined that the driver relied too heavily on Autopilot, which is a partial self-driving system that requires driver attention and hands on the wheel at all times.” Four of the nine recommendations “were made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” and they included “expanding the new car assessment program for forward collision avoidance systems, evaluating Tesla’s Autopilot-equipped vehicles for defects, working with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to evaluate Level 2 automation technologies, and developing standards for these systems.”

        Automobile Magazine (3/3, Lassa, 3.25M) reports that the NTSB “told Tesla and five other automakers they should limit use of automated systems to specific conditions for which they are deemed safe, and to improve monitoring of drivers to make sure they have their hands on the wheel and are focused on the road, according to the [New York] Times.” The NTSB also “called on Apple to ban non-emergency use of company-issued devices while driving and called on other electronics companies to lock drivers out of their devices, or limit what they can do while behind the wheel.”