Federal auto-safety regulators have ruled out Tesla’s Autopilot system in the much-reported fatal Model S crash that killed Joshua Brown eight months ago.
Following its investigation, regulators also said that the electric automaker’s Autopilot-enabled vehicles don’t need to be recalled, despite the system coming under fierce criticism following the crash and later causing concerns throughout the industry about the rapid development of self-driving technologies.
Although regulators ruled out Autopilot as the cause of the crash, NHTSA spokesman Bryan Thomas did highlight the limitations of the system saying that it can only be relied on in some driving scenarios, reports the New York Times.
“Not all systems can do all things. There are driving scenarios that automatic emergency braking systems are not designed to address,” Thomas said.
In the May 7 2015 crash, Brown’s Model S struck a tractor trailer that crossed in front of the vehicle. After investigating the crash, Tesla said Autopilot failed to recognize the white truck against the bright sky.
Although Autopilot failed to prevent the crash, investigators concluded that Brown had at least seven seconds to notice the truck and brake. He did neither and as Autopilot performed as designed, it was ruled that it wasn’t defective.
While the NHTSA’s investigation has concluded, a separate investigation into the crash is still being pursued by the National Transportation Safety Board.
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