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A Tesla Model 3 was recently involved in a fatal high-speed crash as a driver collided with a residential home, killing a 76-year-old woman inside, prompting a federal investigation to be opened on the matter.
While there are on average over 40,000 car-related deaths each year in the United States, the reason why this particular incident has drawn the attention of safety regulators is the involvement of the Tesla vehicle, particularly in reference to claims made by the driver.
Law enforcement have not yet determined the official cause of the crash, yet Michael Butler – the man behind the wheel of the Model 3, claims that it was Tesla's self-driving technology, FSD, that caused the vehicle to veer off the road and into the nearby house.
As reported by the BBC, Sergeant Alex Turman of the Harris County Sheriff's Department outlined that the vehicle "failed to turn right at an intersection and, at a high rate of speed, crashed directly into a house," but the involvement of new technology has led to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stepping in.
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The NHTSA has launched an investigation that compromises its most "in-depth and detailed" form of inquiry, suggesting the potential seriousness of this particular crash in relation to what it deems to be 'emerging technology'.
The investigation itself will be operated separately to the police enquiry, and it appears as if the aim is to improve safety across a wide range of vehicles in light of potential defects.
The NHTSA is already investigating Tesla's FSD technology in light of alleged degradation of performance in poor weather, and this could perhaps contribute to that and might even prompt a recall if the regulator discovers an issue.
Tesla, however, has stood firm in the belief that FSD played no part in this particular crash despite the driver's claims, with both Elon Musk and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy issuing statements on social media.
Taking to X, Musk declared that any links between FSD and the crash 'make no sense', affirming that the self-driving technology "drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high speed crash!"
Adding to this, Elluswamy asserted that Butler "manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area," presumably drawing from the car's data to reach this conclusion.
"They reached a speed of 74 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash," Elluswamy added, decrying reporting that has linked the incident to Tesla's self-driving software.
