As the market leader, Tesla is synonymous with electric vehicles in the U.S. They've sold 765,000 vehicles in the U.S. since they were first introduced in 2014.
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHSTA) has just opened a probe of these vehicles, focusing on the car's autopilot feature.
Eleven Tesla's have been involved in collisions with police cars, fire trucks, and other vehicles at various crash scenes. Apparently, Tesla vehicles have difficulty recognizing stopped emergency vehicles.
These crashes resulted in 17 injuries and ten deaths. To date, all but six crashes involving autopilot features have involved Tesla cars.
This probe follows an order from NHSTA in June requiring all carmakers, including Tesla, to report all problems with autopilot features.
Are driver-assist technologies making cars safer?
According to Forbes Magazine, "research by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, ADAS vehicles showed a 27% reduction in bodily injury claim frequency and a 19% reduction in property damage frequency.
Auto industry analysts believe this new probe and the new requirements for reporting problems with driver-assist technologies represent a new activist regulatory phase for the federal government.
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