U.S. Regulator Opens Tesla Crash Investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a special investigation into a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model 3 that struck a home near Houston on Friday. Authorities say the vehicle hit the residence at high speed, killing Martha Avila, 76, who was inside the house.
According to a Harris County Sheriff’s Office report, the driver said he was using an automated driving feature at the time. Officials have not determined whether the technology contributed to the crash. The police report said the driver was not intoxicated and is co-operating with investigators.
Video obtained by KHOU-TV shows the car crossing the front lawn of a home in Katy, Texas, before crashing into a front room. Images from the scene showed extensive damage to the structure.
Tesla did not provide a comment in response to media questions. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads the company’s artificial intelligence work, wrote on X that the driver had manually overridden the self-driving system by fully pressing the accelerator. He said the vehicle reached 73 miles per hour, or 119 kilometres per hour, and that the accelerator remained pressed after impact.
The crash comes as Tesla chief executive Elon Musk promotes automated driving software as central to the company’s plans. Tesla is rolling out robotaxis in several U.S. cities and has described a future in which private Tesla owners could add their vehicles to a robotaxi fleet.
NHTSA has examined Tesla’s driver-assistance and self-driving systems in several previous cases. Late last year, the agency opened a probe into 58 incidents involving alleged traffic-law violations while Teslas were using automated technology. It has also investigated Tesla’s crash-reporting practices. Agency records show 46 special crash investigations involving Tesla automated systems over the past decade, with fatalities in more than a dozen cases.
The inquiry remains in its early stages.