Attorney Witherite: Tesla's Autopilot Crashes Stir Concerns for Autonomous Trucks in Texas and Georgia
May 01 2024 - 9:39AM
Business Wire
Amy Witherite, a notable Texas attorney and founder of Witherite
Law Group, highlights the ongoing issues and fatalities linked to
Tesla's autonomous driving feature. This raises significant
concerns about the safety of introducing driverless
tractor-trailers on the road. In 2024, there are plans to introduce
autonomous tractor-trailers on the roads of Texas and Georgia. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently
disclosed the findings of a two-year investigation into Tesla’s
Autopilot, uncovering hundreds of crashes, including 13 fatal ones.
Despite a recall initiated by the company to address the issue,
collisions have persisted, prompting the NHTSA to initiate a new
probe.
"Those of us who have been involved in vehicle safety issues for
many years have long recognized the real dangers fully autonomous
tractor-trailers and large trucks pose to motorists on our nation's
highways," said Witherite.
"The damage caused by a large, autonomous truck could be
significantly more severe than that of a smaller vehicle like a
Tesla," said Witherite. "The problems with Tesla illustrate the
same types of issues that are likely to occur with an autonomous
truck."
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the
regulatory agency responsible for ensuring vehicle safety, has not
set clear guidelines for performance and testing of autonomous
vehicles. As a result, individual manufacturers are left to create
their own testing requirements, leading to an inconsistent level of
testing. This approach lacks the stringent oversight and testing
standards seen in other areas of transportation such as aviation or
railroads.
Unlike autonomous vehicles, crashes involving aviation or
railroads can result in swift action by agencies or Congress to
ground planes or mandate new safety systems. A survey by the
American Automobile Association recently showed that 91% of those
surveyed were either fearful or uncertain about the safety of
autonomous vehicles. "The ongoing issues and fatalities related to
Tesla's Autopilot system serve as a wake-up call for the potential
dangers of driverless technology," says Witherite.
"The lack of established performance measures and testing
standards for automated vehicles raises concerns about the safety
of driverless tractor-trailers on the road," said Witherite. "It is
crucial that the National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration takes immediate action to establish clear guidelines
for performance and testing to prevent further accidents and
protect the public."
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