The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a special crash investigation into a fatal incident on June 19 where a Tesla Model 3 reportedly operating in self-driving mode crashed into a house near Houston, Texas, resulting in the death of a 76-year-old woman.
Investigation Launched
The US road safety watchdog confirmed the probe on Monday. The Harris County Texas Sheriff’s Office stated that the driver of the Tesla Model 3 told officers he was using the vehicle’s automated driving assistance system when it left the roadway and impacted the residence. The Sheriff’s Office also reported that the driver showed no signs of intoxication and cooperated with investigators following the crash.
Conflicting Accounts Emerge
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has publicly disputed claims that the vehicle was in its Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode at the time of the accident. Musk stated on the social media platform X that FSD systems drive slowly through neighborhood streets, and characterized the crash as high-speed. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI, also denied the company’s technology was at fault, writing on X that the driver had manually overridden the system. Elluswamy claimed the vehicle reached a speed of 73 mph (117 km/h) during the crash and that the accelerator remained pressed even after impact, though he did not cite a source for this information.
Tesla’s Self-Driving Technology Under Scrutiny
Musk has consistently promoted self-driving technology as a central element of Tesla’s future strategy, predicting widespread autonomous driving in the US within a decade. While Tesla markets its Full Self-Driving mode as a significant feature, the company notes that the current technology requires constant human supervision and is not fully autonomous. Tesla’s self-driving systems have faced increasing regulatory examination in recent years, following numerous reports of crashes involving the technology. In October, NHTSA opened an investigation into the scope and frequency of such incidents after 58 reports of Teslas running red lights or entering oncoming traffic. In March, the regulator expanded a probe into the performance of self-driving mode in conditions with poor visibility.
Tesla maintains that its self-driving technology is safer than human drivers, asserting it is up to 10 times safer. The company has previously denied that its systems pose hazards to drivers and pedestrians.
Mitchell Landsberg is the senior reporter for News Raise and focuses on Technology. Mitchell regularly writes about social media platforms and how influencers, industry and general people use them to communicate and make money.
