The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), recently requested 12 major automakers for aid as a part of the investigation into crashes involving Tesla cars into other vehicles while using its advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), the Tesla Autopilot. It is to be noted that Tesla's Autopilot can take over some driving tasks, enabling drivers to keep their hands off the wheel for longer periods. The system allows vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within their lane. Although Tesla Autopilot has been commended for its technical prowess, the system is not perfect as indicated by the 12 crashes that resulted in 17 injuries and one death, prompting the U.S. auto safety regulator to formally launch a safety probe into Tesla in August this year. 765,000 Tesla vehicles built within the U.S. between 2014 and 2021 are covered under the probe. In this context, the agency sent an 11-page letter on August 31 to Tesla with numerous questions it must answer by October. The recent letters sent to General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG, and others ask for data that could assist the regulator in the comparative assessment of Tesla’s ADAS with other production vehicles with similar features that automatically control steering and accelerating/braking simultaneously under certain conditions. The letters demand a list of crashes in which an ADAS was active during the beginning of 30 seconds before a crash. It also seeks information on how these systems compel drivers to pay attention and how they detect whether a driver is engaged. Further, the letters also call for details regarding strategies utilized by the systems for detecting and responding to the presence of first responder and law enforcement vehicles. NHTSA has given some automakers a deadline of November 3 to respond and others until November 17. Source Credits – https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/us-asks-12-automakers-for-assistance-in-tesla-probe/article36466599.ece