May 27, 2024 – A recent incident involving a Tesla vehicle in Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode has sparked controversy, as the driver claimed that the car nearly collided with an oncoming train. The driver, Craig Doty II, has voiced his concerns over the apparent lack of response from Tesla’s FSD system during the emergency and provided evidence to support his claims.
Doty II admitted to bearing some responsibility for the incident, which occurred on May 8th, but expressed confusion and dissatisfaction with the FSD system’s inactivity during the critical moment. He shared a chilling video of the incident, captured by the car’s dashcam, on Tesla forums.
According to an NBC report, an automatic collision report generated by Tesla confirmed that the vehicle was indeed in FSD mode at the time of the incident and did not slow down as it approached the railroad crossing. The report also indicated that Doty had his hands on the steering wheel throughout the event, following the necessary safety precautions for using the driving mode.
In the video, it can be seen that despite the foggy conditions, the moving train was clearly visible as the car approached the railroad crossing. However, the vehicle continued to move at a speed of 60 miles per hour without slowing down. At the last moment, Doty took control of the car, swerved, and applied the brakes, causing the car to veer off the road and hit a railing at the crossing, stopping just inches away from the train. The footage captured from a reverse angle shows the narrow miss between the car and the train, making for a heart-stopping scene.
In an interview, Doty stated, “I couldn’t believe the car couldn’t see the train or the blinking lights. Even though it was foggy, the warning lights were still visible.”
Tesla’s autonomous driving features, despite their misleading name, are not fully autonomous. In fact, both the FSD system and its less advanced Autopilot system require driver supervision. The potentially misleading naming of these features has landed Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, in hot water with regulatory bodies in California, who accuse the company of misleading the public.
The federal government is also keeping a close eye on the issue, with the US Department of Justice investigating Tesla’s potentially misleading claims about its driving assistance systems. Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted multiple investigations into accidents involving FSD and Autopilot modes.
This latest incident is likely to increase the pressure on Tesla even further. An NHTSA spokesperson told NBC that the agency is “aware of the incident and is gathering more information from the manufacturer.”
