The driver of a 2021 Tesla Model S in an eight-car crash on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco last month told police that his car was in fully automated driving (FSD) mode, which malfunctioned, according to a police report made public on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The Thanksgiving Day crash on Interstate 80 near Treasure Island in San Francisco resulted in two teenagers being transported to local hospitals for minor injuries and a prolonged blockage of the bridge.
Police report that the Tesla changed lanes and slowed to a stop in an unsafe situation, causing another car to hit the Tesla and triggering a chain reaction of more crashes.
The Tesla driver reportedly told police that the car’s FSD malfunctioned, but police could not determine whether the system was operating at the time or whether the driver’s account was true. The police report said that if the FSD malfunctioned, the driver should have taken over the vehicle manually.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has been investigating Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, has not commented on the incident.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has touted Tesla’s “FSD” software as a potential cash cow for the world’s largest electric car maker. But Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems, and Musk’s claims about them, are facing increasing legal, regulatory and public scrutiny.
Tesla is offering the $15,000 FSD software as an add-on to its standard “Autopilot” feature, which allows cars to steer, accelerate and brake within their lanes without driver intervention.
Jennifer Homendy, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, questioned Tesla’s marketing of the feature as “full autopilot” when it can’t actually do so, and said Tesla must do more to make sure people don’t abuse it.
