Government Alarmed by Videos of Tesla Robotaxis Immediately Breaking Road Laws
As Bloomberg reports, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contacted Tesla just a single day after its Robotaxi launch over apparent traffic violations captured on video and posted to social media.
Since Sunday, the Elon Musk-owned electric carmaker has been offering autonomous rides, albeit with a human safety monitor, to a select few individuals willing to pay for the novelty. As videos taken in the wake of the launch show, the Robotaxis are no better than Google's self-driving Waymo cabs — and likely markedly worse — which also roam the streets of Austin.
One such video, filmed by a backseat passenger, shows the steering wheel of a Robotaxi begin jerking left and right as its navigation system snaps between two different routes. Though the Tesla eventually corrects itself, it then begins to drift over the double yellow line — though luckily, there was no oncoming traffic.
In perhaps the most viral of the incidents, one of the autonomous cabs is seen braking repeatedly upon driving past police cars — a maneuver more reminiscent of stoned teen drivers freaking out about a joint in their glove box than the vanguard of the tech industry's transportation solutions.
Though this new government interest in Robotaxis falls short of a formal investigation, it's still bad news for Tesla, which is the subject of a growing list of NHTSA probes — and its janky and dangerous autonomous driving tech is of particular concern to the agency.
"NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information," the agency said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch. "Following an assessment of those reports and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety."
"Under US law, NHTSA does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems," the statement continued. "Rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA's rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects."
Last month, Electrek reported that the agency had grown concerned that Tesla's problematic "Full Self-Driving" feature — which the company was forced to rename to "Intelligent Assisted Driving" in China because the tech doesn't allow for full autonomy — would be used for the Robotaxis.
Tesla was, apparently, able to assuage those concerns ahead of the launch — but that band-aid doesn't seem to be sticking now that the not-so-self-driving taxis are gumming up the roads of Austin.
And the elephant in the room: until last month, Musk was best buddies with Donald Trump, making it likely he could slide out of federal accountability for mismanaged rollouts. Since that relationship imploded spectacularly, though, the reverse dynamic is likely now true: loyal Trump regulators could instead have it out for Tesla.
More on Robotaxis: Disturbing Test Shows What Happens When Tesla Robotaxi Sees a Child Mannequin Pop Out From Behind a School Bus
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