A U.S. Congress member is urging Tesla to adopt “common sense” changes to its Autopilot system to boost safety.
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.)—a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee—on Friday released recommendations from his review of the infamous driver assistance system.
The semi-autonomous function includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, emergency braking, semi-automated steering, parking assist, and the ability to recall the vehicle from a parking place.
The one thing it’s lacking, however, is total autonomy.
Despite repeated reminders that Autopilot is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time,” folks still think it’s OK to doze off during the commute and let their car do the navigating.
“Autopilot is a flawed system, but I believe its dangers can be overcome,” Markey said in a statement.
The senator launched his investigation after media reports suggested Tesla drivers are finding ways to circumvent safety alerts and the automatic shut-off feature designed to activate when an Autopilot user stops paying attention.
Posted online, workarounds include resting the driver’s hand at the six o’ clock position and wedging a water bottle or firm orange into the steering wheel.
Markey in November requested that Tesla address safety flaws in its Autopilot system, asking, among other things, about the vehicle maker’s testing process and what action it is taking to improve Autopilot for future models.
His latest statement, posted last week, includes specific recommendations, like remarketing Autopilot, which Markey called “an inherently misleading name.”
“This rebranding would significantly reduce the confusion that encourages driver misuse of the technology,” according to the press release.
Markey also suggested building in backup monitoring systems that track driver engagement in different ways.
“This kind of technological redundancy,” the politician explained, “would promote safety by making sure that one system is always monitoring a driver’s attention, even if another sensor fails or is tricked by the user.”
The family of a Tesla owner killed when his Model X crashed into a concrete highway median in California sued the firm in May. The lawsuit alleged the engaged Autopilot feature was “defective,” and caused the death of Apple engineer Walter Huang.
The company did not immediately respond to Geek’s request for comment.
“I have been proud to work with Tesla on advancing cleaner, more sustainable transportation technologies. But these achievements should not come at the expense of safety,” Markey said.
“That’s why I’m calling on Tesla to use its resources and expertise to better protect drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and all other users of the road,” he continued. “Tesla can and must do more to guarantee the safety of its technology.”
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