For the second time in a week, the US government’s road-safety agency is sending a team to investigate a Tesla crash in Michigan.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is getting involved because a car using the company’s Autopilot system collided with a State Police cruiser with flashing lights along a freeway.
It's another sign that the safety agency under President Joe Biden may be taking a stronger look at regulating driver-assist systems, as well as self-driving cars. Previously, it had taken a hands-off approach to the new technologies, favouring voluntary safety compliance so it wouldn't interfere with development.
In the freeway incident, the police car was parked on Interstate 96 in Eaton County near the state capital of Lansing while a trooper investigated a car-deer crash early on Wednesday, WLNS-TV reported. Neither the trooper nor the 22-year-old Tesla driver were injured in the 1.10am crash. The officer issued citations for failure to move over and driving with a suspended licence.
In a statement, NHTSA said it would send the team to investigate “consistent with NHTSA’s vigilant oversight and robust authority over the safety of all motor vehicles and equipment, including automated technologies”.
An email message seeking comment on Wednesday night from Tesla was not immediately returned. The manufacturer has disbanded its press office and has not returned messages for months.
Earlier this week NHTSA sent a special crash investigation team to Detroit for a crash that involved a Tesla that drove beneath a semitrailer. Two people in the car were hurt in the incident last Thursday on the city’s southwest side. WJBK-TV quoted a Detroit police deputy chief as saying all indications are that the car was not in Autopilot mode.
The circumstances of the Detroit crash were similar to two others in Florida in which Teslas drove beneath tractor-trailers, causing two deaths. In both crashes, in 2016 and 2019, the cars were being driven while using Tesla’s Autopilot system, which can steer a car to keep it in a lane and stop it from hitting vehicles in front of it.
NHTSA's moves to send teams to both crashes indicates that it may be taking a different stance on automated driving systems, said Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst for Guidehouse Insights. “It seems that under the new administration, NHTSA has finally started to take a serious look at this,” he said.
NHTSA has previously investigated more than a dozen Tesla crashes, but hasn’t made public any action. In January, before Mr Biden took office, it threatened a public hearing and possible legal action to get the Palo Alto, California-based company to recall vehicles for a touch screen problem.
Tesla has said previously that its Autopilot and its “full self-driving” software are driver-assistance systems and that the driver must be ready to intervene at all times.
Tesla has been criticised by the National Transportation Safety Board for failing to adequately monitor drivers to make sure they are paying attention. The NTSB, which investigates crashes and makes recommendations, also criticised Tesla for allowing the system to work on roads that it can’t handle.
Mr Abuelsamid said a February letter to NHTSA from NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt urging regulation of the new systems may have prodded NHTSA into taking more action. “Hopefully we will finally see NHTSA establish standards” for driver assist systems, he said.
Jason Levine, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said it's about time NHTSA starts to get serious about the risks posed to all motorists by companies such as Tesla, “who are intentionally misleading the public regarding the capabilities and shortcomings of their technology”.
Under President Donald Trump, NHTSA either could not or would not take action, Mr Levine said. “We can only hope the era of vehicle safety being an afterthought is over.”
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Semi-final fixtures
Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today
Germany v Mexico, 7pm, tomorrow
GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
