Fatal Tesla collision with firetruck under federal investigation

Federal conveyance information regulators initiated a new, peculiar clang probe into a fatal collision that progressive a Tesla Model S sedan and a occurrence motortruck successful Walnut Creek, California past month, CNBC has confirmed.

The operator of the Tesla died, their rider was critically injured, and 4 firefighters who were wrong the impacted occurrence motortruck were taken to a infirmary pursuing the crash, according to records obtained by CNBC from the California Highway Patrol and the Contra Costa County Fire Department.

The Associated Press archetypal reported connected NHTSA's peculiar investigation.

According to occurrence section records pursuing the incidental connected Feb. 18, the occurrence motortruck was parked successful the mediate of an interstate road successful bid to support different archetypal responders who were towing a disabled conveyance from the country astatine the clip the Tesla veered into it.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) are each investigating what caused the crash, separately.

The CHP wrote successful an connection pursuing the crash, "It is unclear if cause oregon intoxicant power is simply a origin successful this crash. It was incapable to beryllium determined astatine the country if the Tesla was being operated with immoderate operator assistance oregon automation activated astatine the clip of the crash." 

Both CHP and NHTSA privation to cognize whether Tesla's operator assistance systems, which are marketed arsenic Autopilot and Full Self-Driving options successful the US, caused the crash.

All caller Tesla vehicles successful the US travel with a modular operator assistance bundle called Autopilot. Customers who wage Tesla a monthly subscription interest of $199 oregon $15,000 up beforehand tin besides get further operator assistance features arsenic portion of a premium bundle called FSD, which stands for Full Self-Driving. Tesla allows FSD customers to motion up for FSD Beta, arsenic well, a mode to trial caller features that person not been afloat de-bugged yet connected nationalist roads.

Despite their marque names, Tesla does not marque a driverless conveyance oregon system. The institution cautions drivers to support their hands connected the wheel, and beryllium acceptable to instrumentality implicit steering oregon braking astatine immoderate moment.

The caller peculiar clang probe is portion of an extended NHTSA probe of Tesla's operator assistance systems, and however they execute astir parked archetypal responder vehicles.

According to records connected the agency's website, NHTSA opened a "preliminary evaluation" of Tesla's Autopilot systems connected August 13, 2021. "The probe opening was motivated by an accumulation of crashes successful which Tesla vehicles, operating with Autopilot engaged, struck stationary in-road oregon roadside archetypal responder vehicles tending to pre-existing collision scenes."

According to the NHTSA report, astatine slightest 14 Teslas person crashed into archetypal responder vehicles portion utilizing the Autopilot system.

NHTSA expanded their probe to an "engineering analysis" successful outpouring of 2022, successful bid to find if Tesla's systems may, "exacerbate quality factors oregon behavioral information risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver's supervision."

In laic terms, NHTSA is trying to fig retired if Tesla's Autopilot, FSD and different operator assistance features origin drivers to go truthful distracted from the roadworthy that they would thrust much safely without them.

Tesla did not respond to a petition for comment. NHTSA does not remark connected unfastened investigations.