A watchdog has called for a ban on Tesla's Full Self-Driving software. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has logged 50 fatalities involving the technology and is investigating the company on multiple fronts.
What's happening?
The Dawn Project asked legislators July 8, after Tesla rolled out Robotaxis in Austin, Texas, to ban FSD from being used on public roads "over the litany of critical safety defects uncovered by the group's safety tests of the software," according to a news release.
Those tests included a Tesla blowing past a school bus with red flashing lights and a stop sign and running down a child-size mannequin eight times in eight trials. In 2023, 17-year-old Tillman Mitchell of North Carolina suffered a broken neck and broken leg and was hospitalized for months after a similar crash, per CBS News.
"The Dawn Project's Report to Congress outlines the key findings from the group's safety tests and demands that legislators take immediate action to protect road users from Tesla Full Self-Driving by banning the software until Tesla conclusively proves it is safe," the release stated.
The advocacy group tracks "safety critical errors" made by FSD as well as Robotaxi mistakes. Founded in 2021 by software security expert Dan O'Dowd, The Dawn Project works to ensure "software in safety-critical systems is secure and that all computers are safe for humanity."
"It is only a matter of time before a child is killed while getting off a school bus because of Elon Musk and Tesla's utter negligence and contempt for public safety," O'Dowd said.
Why is this important?
Electric vehicles are becoming more popular as consumers make choices that save them money and help cool the planet, which is rapidly overheating because of the burning of dirty energy sources such as gas, oil, and coal.
If the machines aren't safe, however, it will impact the clean energy transition, which is necessary to avoid the worst effects of the warming climate, including mass migration because of rising temperatures and sea levels, in addition to increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events.
Tesla's FSD problems are particularly notable because of the company's standing atop the EV world and its sales slump. The troubles include CEO Musk's role in massive U.S. government spending cuts and other political pursuits, which are hurting the brand and could move people off EVs in general, as dealerships, charging stations, and even personal vehicles have been vandalized.
What's being done about FSD?
While Musk and Tesla have long touted and marketed FSD as an autonomous service, regulators have balked, forcing the company to clarify that drivers must be attentive even in good weather and road conditions. The Dawn Project highlighted the "misleading and deceptive" tactics and reiterated that lawmakers must step in to prevent motorists from being lulled into trusting the software and to protect human life.
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There are plenty of Tesla alternatives to choose from, and Tesla fans can forgo FSD. Switching to an EV saves drivers $1,500 a year on gas and maintenance, and charging can cost next to nothing if the juice comes from a home solar installation. EVs are also nearly as cheap as gas-powered vehicles, and a $7,500 federal tax credit is still available for those who buy before Sept. 30.
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