Tesla crash prompts NTSB investigation into autonomous driving
It's a rare look into the broader issues with self-driving car technology.
Investigations are already underway regarding the role of Autopilot in the fatal Tesla Model S crash on May 7th, but the National Transportation Safety Board wants to take things one step further. It's launching its own investigation into the tragedy to see whether or not it reveals any underlying problems with autonomous driving as a whole. Is current technology truly safe, for example? And is existing regulation up to the job of covering that technology?
This isn't to say that the NTSB is thinking about banning or limiting self-driving car tech, assuming it calls for any changes once its investigation is over. As Bloomberg notes, the board has long asked for more automation, since it can prevent collisions that humans would make. However, there's a real chance that it might ask for widespread use of advanced sensors (such as lidar), stricter testing methods or other approaches that could minimize the chances of a crash.
