Tesla Drivers Forming Collision Invoking The Full Self Driving Feature Of Non-functional Cars

Tesla's unfundating Self Driving feature causes successive collisions.(photo: Twitter @Tesla)

JAKARTA - The 2021 Tesla Model S driver who was involved in an eight-vehicle crash last month in San Francisco's Bay Bridge told police he during the accident was in malfunction Full-Self Driving (FSD) mode. This was revealed in a police report made publicly, Wednesday, December 21.

The Thanksgiving Day accident on Interstate-80 near Treasure Island resulted in two teenagers being transported to a local hospital for minor wound care and causing a long traffic jam on the bridge.

Tesla's chief executive, Elon Musk, called Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" software a potential dairy cow for the world's largest electric car maker. But Tesla's advanced driver assistance system and Musk's claims about them are now facing increasing legal, regulatory and public scrutiny.

Tesla sells FSD software for 15,000 US dollars (Rp232.7 million) as an advertisement that allows its vehicles to change lanes and park independently. FSD complements its standard "Autopilot" feature, which allows cars to drive, accelerate, and brake on the track without the driver's intervention.

While the Tesla driver told police that the FSD was not working but the police were unable to determine whether the software was operational or whether his statement was accurate, according to a report published after a Reuters request.

Police reports said the vehicle made an unsafe lane change and slowed to a stop, causing other vehicles to crash into Tesla and causing successive collisions.

Police reports say if the FSD is not working, then the driver should manually control the vehicle.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters on the report.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has investigated the automaker's advanced driver assistance system, has also made no comment.

Tesla's said the "Full Self-Driving" feature provides access to more advanced driver assistance features but emphasizes that "all Tesla vehicles require active and non-autonomous driver surveillance."

Jennifer Homendy, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Council, has questioned the marketing of Tesla's features as "self-driving," at the time, unable to afford and said Tesla should do more to ensure people don't abuse the feature.