<ul class="summary-list"><li>A man who died in a <keyword id="11900744" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tesla" source="Orion">Tesla</keyword> crash in April was over the legal alcohol limit, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-03/tesla-crash-victim-s-autopsy-shows-alcohol-exceeding-texas-limit">Bloomberg News</a> reported.</li><li>William Varner and Everette Talbot were killed when Varner's Tesla Model S crashed near Houston.</li><li>Varner's blood-alcohol level was higher than the 0.08% legal limit in <keyword id="11896956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas" source="Orion">Texas</keyword>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/victim-tesla-crash-texas-had-alcohol-level-exceeding-legal-limit-2021-09-03/">Reuters</a> reported.</li></ul>One of two men who died in a Tesla crash in April had a blood alcohol level about twice the legal limit, reports said.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-crash-first-victim-named-autopilot-debate-continues-2021-4?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">William Varner</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-crash-2nd-victim-named-police-musk-disagree-on-autopilot-2021-4">Everette Talbot</a> were killed when the Tesla Model S they were riding in crashed and caught fire near Houston, Texas. Police said the men were found in the back seat of the vehicle, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-tesla-crash-timeline-autopilot-mystery-2021-4">raising questions</a> about whether the vehicle had been driven by <keyword id="11900743" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="autopilot" source="Orion">Autopilot</keyword>, Tesla's self-driving technology. Varner's blood had more than the legal limit of alcohol, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-03/tesla-crash-victim-s-autopsy-shows-alcohol-exceeding-texas-limit">Bloomberg News</a> reported on Friday, citing an autopsy report received through a records request. Varner had been seen getting in the vehicle's driver's seat, the report said.The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said Varner had 0.151 g/100mL of grain alcohol in his blood, topping the 0.08% that's legal for a Texas driver, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/victim-tesla-crash-texas-had-alcohol-level-exceeding-legal-limit-2021-09-03/">Reuters</a> reported. Talbot also had alcohol in his blood, Bloomberg <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">News</keyword> reported.Varner and Talbot both died from "blunt force trauma" and "thermal injuries," according to their <a href="https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/r0.vQvQnePB4/v0">autopsy</a> <a href="https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rHu7oMEX58ug/v0">reports</a>.Insider has reached out to Tesla for comment. Tesla CEO <keyword id="11897862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> said in April that it was likely someone was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-elon-musk-houston-crash-texas-autopilot-fsd-electric-vehicle-2021-4">in the driver's seat</a> at the time of the crash. Police have said otherwise.The National Highway <keyword id="11894924" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation" source="Orion">Transportation</keyword> Safety Administration on August 13 opened an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system. This includes studying how it handles the flashing lights of first-responder vehicles.It said the investigation would cover 11 crashes in nine states and include 765,000 Teslas Model Y, Model X, Model S, and Model 3 vehicles made since 2014. "Most incidents took place after dark and the crash scenes encountered included scene control measures such as first responder vehicle lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board, and road cones," the Office of Defects Investigation said in its <a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2021/INOA-PE21020-1893.PDF">preliminary evaluation</a> of 11 crashes.The NHTSA last week <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-crash-investigation-nhtsa-emergency-vehicles-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">added a 12th crash</a> to its investigation. That crash occurred at about 5am last Saturday, when a 27-year-old operating an <keyword id="11893543" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ev" source="Orion">EV</keyword> with Autopilot <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-hit-a-florida-state-troopers-car-2021-8">crashed</a> into a Florida Highway Patrol vehicle on the side of a highway. The Tesla "narrowly missed" a trooper who was outside the police vehicle, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-florida-001915f68f2327a42eb5b6f5c4ccd2b7">The Associated Press</a> reported. The trooper, who was unhurt, had pulled over to assist a parked vehicle. The police said a trooper outside the vehicle was "extremely lucky" the Tesla missed him. "Trooper was outside of car and extremely lucky to have not been struck," the Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement posted on <a href="https://twitter.com/FHPOrlando/status/1431565185899171840?s=20">Twitter</a>.The Tesla driver and the driver of the parked vehicle both had minor injuries, a police spokesperson told <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-tesla-autopilot-strikes-fhp-cruiser-20210828-c2fwyy4wlbhvfoiya626pmoddi-story.html">The Orlando Sentinel</a>.The NHSTA investigation came after years of one-off Tesla crash investigations by the administration. Between June 2016 and May 2021, the NHSTA investigated 36 crashes that involved Tesla EVs or other vehicles with self-driving features, according to a list of investigations Insider requested from the agency in June.Thirty of those investigations involved Tesla vehicles, although three of the Tesla crashes occurred when the vehicles were "not in Autopilot," according to the NHTSA list. Eight of those one-off investigations involving Teslas resulted in fatalities, while another five had serious or severe injuries as results, according to the NHTSA.

Tesla crash victim's autopsy shows his alcohol level was around twice the legal limit for Texas, reports say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sens. Blumenthal and Markey have asked the <keyword id="88852" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="FTC">FTC</keyword> to investigate <keyword id="107096" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tesla">Tesla</keyword> over its <keyword id="1241857" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="autopilot">Autopilot</keyword> claims.</li><li>The company's self-driving technology has been involved in numerous accidents and fatalities.</li><li>Musk's statements "demonstrate a deeply concerning disregard for the safety of those on the road," they said.</li></ul>Two US senators have called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Tesla for "potentially deceptive and unfair practices" in its marketing of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.<a href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-markey-call-for-ftc-investigation-into-teslas-misleading-advertising-of-driving-automation-systems">In a letter to Chair Lina Kahn</a> on Wednesday, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey, democrats who serve on the Commerce, Science, and <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> Committee, called Tesla's marketing "misleading" and requested enforcement action to protect public safety.The letter comes a week after the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-us-probe-over-autopilot-emergency-vehicle-crashes-2021-8">National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation into Tesla's automation systems</a> that regulators say were involved in 11 crashes with vehicles at first-responder sites in recent years.Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-tesla-exec-vc-greg-reichow-eclipse-looks-startups-founders-2021-8">A Tesla manufacturing chief turned VC reveals what he looks for in self-driving and mobility startups and founders</a>No vehicles currently on the market offer fully autonomous driving, and the NHTSA projects there <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/technology-innovation/automated-vehicles-safety">won't be until at least 2025</a>, but the lawmakers note that Tesla's marketing language "fails to provide additional information about the true capabilities of the vehicle.""Tesla drivers listen to these claims and believe their vehicles are equipped to drive themselves - with potentially deadly consequences," they wrote.A lawsuit in California names Tesla as a defendant in the matter of a 2019 crash that killed a 15-year-old boy after his father's truck was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/family-of-15-year-old-killed-in-tesla-crash-suing-2021-7">struck by a Tesla operating in Autopilot mode</a>.Data from the crash showed the Tesla had its Autopilot feature enabled when it struck the victim's car, ejecting the boy from the vehicle. The data also showed that in the seconds before the crash, the Tesla briefly accelerated before braking.A website tracking <a href="https://www.tesladeaths.com">Tesla-involved fatalities</a> attributes at least nine deaths to Teslas operating with Autopilot engaged. Last month, the company released the latest beta version of its Full Self-Driving software, which falls far short of the Level Five standard for full autonomy accepted by the industry.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-fsd-full-self-driving-videos-flaws-glitches-2021-7">Videos of Tesla drivers testing the system</a> show the system struggles with basic driving tasks, like staying in a lane or recognizing large stationary objects.Musk has defended Tesla's use of the names, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-defends-autopilot-against-criticism-misleading-name-accusations-2020-8">saying in 2020</a> that the idea of changing the name - as critics have asked - is ridiculous. "The people who misuse Autopilot, it's not because they're new to it and don't understand it," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-defends-autopilot-against-criticism-misleading-name-accusations-2020-8">he told Automotive News.</a> "The people who first use Autopilot are extremely paranoid about it. It's not like, 'If you just introduced a different name, I would have really treated it differently.' If something goes wrong with Autopilot, it's because someone is misusing it and using it directly contrary to how we've said it should be used."Still, the lawmakers say it puts the public at real risk."Tesla and Mr. Musk's repeated overstatements of their vehicle's capabilities - despite clear and frequent warnings - demonstrate a deeply concerning disregard for the safety of those on the road and require real accountability," Blumenthal and Markey wrote. "Their claims put Tesla drivers - and all of the travelling public - at risk of serious injury or death."

Two senators are calling on the FTC to investigate Tesla's 'deceptive and unfair' claims about Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software

<ul><li><keyword id="107096" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tesla">Tesla</keyword> has fallen as much as 10% since the NTHSA launched a probe into accidents allegedly involving its auto-pilot software.</li><li>But Goldman Sachs reiterated its "Buy" rating and $875 price target for Tesla in a Monday note.</li><li>Goldman thinks the NTHSA probe might take multiple years to resolve.</li><li><a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/10-things-opening-bell?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingestgest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up here for our daily newsletter, 10 Things Before the Opening Bell.</a></li></ul><hr />Shares of <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla</a> have dropped as much as 10% since the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-new-autopilot-crash-investigation-models-safety-nhtsa-2021-8">NHTSA launched a probe</a> into accidents allegedly involving its auto-pilot software on Monday.The investigation will look into an estimated 765,000 Tesla vehicles, spanning across its entire model lineup. The agency identified 11 crashes involving Tesla vehicles and first-responder vehicles that were parked on the side of the road.But Goldman Sachs isn't fazed by the investigation, with the bank reiterating its "Buy" rating and $875 price target in a note on Monday, representing potential upside of 28% from Monday's close. Goldman believes the NHTSA probe "could take some time" based on previous investigations into the Takata airbag recalls, the sudden unintended acceleration of Tesla's, and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/f-stock">Ford's</a> PowerShift transmission. "Past investigations have taken many months or even multiple years to resolve," Goldman said.And if an issue is ultimately found by the NHTSA regarding Tesla's auto-pilot software, an over-the-air update could help resolve the issue rather than an expensive physical recall of its vehicles, Goldman argued. That's what Tesla did earlier this year when it pushed a software update to fix safety issues with nearly 300,000 Model 3 and Y vehicles in China.Another solution to the NHTSA probe could be for Tesla to include an enhanced monitoring system to ensure driver compliance with its terms of use, the note said. "Importantly, we note that Tesla is already working on a more robust driver monitoring system that leverages in-car cameras for eye tracking," Goldman said.All in all, the bank feels that the recent sell-off in Tesla is a buy-the-dip opportunity, especially with <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/what-to-expect-from-tesla-s-ai-day-scheduled-for-aug-19-1030704372">its AI day unfolding later this week.</a>

Tesla has fallen 10% since the NHTSA initiated a probe of its autopilot systems, but Goldman is sticking to its 'buy' rating and says the investigation could last years

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sen. Richard Blumenthal criticized <keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword>'s decision to tweet about a deadly crash.</li><li>Authorities in <keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword> said <keyword id="107096" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tesla">Tesla</keyword>'s Autopilot was engaged when two people were killed in a crash in Houston this month.</li><li>Musk dismissed the connection between the Autopilot and the crash on Twitter.</li></ul>Sen. Richard Blumenthal has called out Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his response to a fatal <keyword id="3396252" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="tesla-crash">Tesla crash</keyword> this month."I was very disappointed that Tesla through its CEO took to Twitter to downplay the involvement of the company's advanced driver assistance system before both the <keyword id="157638" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="NTSB">NTSB</keyword> and NTHSA have completed their ongoing investigation into the deadly accident," Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said Tuesday during a <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2021/4/driving-innovation-the-future-of-automotive-mobility-safety-and-technology">Senate committee hearing.</a>Earlier this month, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-crash-without-driver-kills-two-houston-2021-4">Tesla Model S crashed into a tree and burst into flames in Houston,</a> killing two people. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-crash-texas-autopilot-police-demand-data-elon-musk-2021-4">Evidence from the crash site indicates no one was in the driver's seat </a>and it may have been operating on Autopilot. Tesla's electric vehicles come with Autopilot, a feature that allows the <keyword id="20632" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cars">cars</keyword> to brake, accelerate, and steer automatically. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-elon-musk-houston-crash-texas-autopilot-fsd-electric-vehicle-2021-4">Musk waved off any correlation between the autonomous software and the crash.</a>"Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled &amp; this car did not purchase FSD," <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1384254194975010826?lang=en">Musk tweeted this week, </a>referring to the company's full self-driving software. Tesla sells FSD as a $10,000 one-off add-on, which it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-full-self-driving-beta-isnt-autonomous-emails-california-dmv-2021-3">plans to release widely in 2021</a>. FSD allows cars to park themselves, change lanes, and identify both stop signs and traffic lights."Moreover, standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on, which this street did not have," Musk contended.He also <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-blasts-232102495.html">mentioned the crash during the company's first quarter earnings call on Monday. </a>"This is completely false," Musk said. He added that journalists who suggested Autopilot was at fault "should be ashamed of themselves." Tesla's Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, also shared details regarding the accident that he said Tesla had learned from assisting in the local and federal investigations so far.After the crash, Texas police told multiple outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, that investigators were 99.9% sure that no one was behind the wheel when the car crashed. The Tesla software requires a licensed operator behind the wheel, but a recent <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/cars/consumer-reports-tesla-autopilot-test-no-driver/index.html">Consumer Report found that a Tesla will drive without anyone in the driver's seat.</a>During the Senate subcommittee hearing, two major automotive groups called for federal safety regulations to be updated in light of the recent Tesla crashes. To date there are no federal regulations or performance standards for autonomous cars. Executives from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and Motor &amp; Equipment Manufacturers Association said the <keyword id="112531" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NHTSA">NHTSA</keyword> needs to create these regulations as soon as possible to prevent more drivers from abusing the new technology."The U.S. is in danger of losing our competitive edge due to a lack of clear national policies," Ann Wilson, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the Motor &amp; Equipment Manufacturers Association, said during the hearing.Blumenthal seemed to agree with the automotive groups' stance. "Tesla's crash highlights that there are many unanswered questions regarding the technology that purports to be automated," he said. "Sadly, there are no current regulations to provide the public with a lot of comfort that more automation without significantly upgraded consumer protection is the answer."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-crash-texas-autopilot-police-demand-data-elon-musk-2021-4">Texas police </a>are still investigating the crash. The National Highway <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> Safety Administration, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board are also looking into the crash, along with several other Tesla crashes believed to be related to the autonomous driving software. The NHTSA has about 24 ongoing investigations into Tesla crashes, while the NTSB has opened eight."Our investigation is ongoing," the NTSB told Insider. "We have not drawn any conclusions at this point."Blumenthal, Tesla, and the NHTSA did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal says he's 'disappointed' Elon Musk is talking about a deadly crash involving a Tesla while it's under investigation

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55f6d5c49dd7cc1d008ba121-2400/ap_969511424819.jpg" alt="John Krafcik google hyundai" data-mce-source="AP" />APWaymo CEO John Krafcik.</div></div></div>Waymo CEO John Krafcik shared on Wednesday why the self-driving-car company has steered clear of driver-assistance tools at Bloomberg's Tech Conference.Waymo, a Google spinoff, is pursuing level 4 self-driving cars, meaning the vehicles can drive without any human intervention in select locations. That strategy has <a href="https://www.recode.net/2016/8/18/12540686/google-uber-self-driving-cars-consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reportedly had its drawbacks</a>; in 2016, several top executives left the program for companies looking to bring the tech to market faster by building semi-autonomous systems.But Krafcik said that there's a "fundamental conundrum" for companies putting driver-assistance tools on the market: how do you get people to pay attention?"If at some point the car needs to ask the human to pay attention... that could be a big problem," he said. "It's one of the reasons we pivoted Waymo to a full self-driving solution." Level 2 autonomous systems, like Tesla Autopilot, can handle some driving tasks but still require a driver to pay attention and sometimes take back control of the car.Tesla's Autopilot, introduced in October 2015, was the focus of intense scrutiny when it was disclosed in July 2016 that a driver was using the technology when he crashed into a semi-truck and died. The NTSB, an independent government investigative agency, said Tuesday that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-fatal-crash-ntsb-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Autopilot contributed to the crash</a> because it allowed the driver, Joshua Brown, to avoid steering or watching the road for long periods of time.Google conducted an experiment in 2012 where it asked employees to ride in its self-driving cars, informing them that they had to pay attention to the road and be prepared to take over. (Waymo was still a self-driving-car unit run by Google in 2012.)Google ultimately ended the pilot early because employees repeatedly lost focus, Krafcik said. "It's the fundamental conundrum that we face in this space and we learned it at Google, prior to becoming Waymo, in 2012," he said.Tesla unveiled improvements last September to its Autopilot software, adding new limits on hands-off driving that CEO Elon Musk <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-autopilot-update-makes-cars-safer-2016-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has said</a> would most likely have prevented the fatality in May. While level 2 systems need human oversight, they do make cars safer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that crash rates for Tesla vehicles had <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-cuts-crash-rates-by-40-government-finds-2017-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dropped by 40%</a> since Autopilot was first installed. NTHSA did not find Tesla Autopilot at fault for last year's fatal crash.The first application of Waymo's self-driving tech will likely be in the ride-hailing space and trucking industry, Krafcik said, declining to provide a specific timeline for commercialization. Waymo is currently conducting public trials in Phoenix, Arizona. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-google-alphabet-providing-self-driving-car-services-first-testers-phoenix-2017-4">Waymo is now letting ordinary people sign up to test its self-driving cars in Phoenix</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/GfG6scCU-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

You Searched For "nthsa" and got 5 results

Tesla crash victim's autopsy shows his alcohol level was around twice the legal limit for Texas, reports say

Kevin Shalvey

Two senators are calling on the FTC to investigate Tesla's 'deceptive and unfair' claims about Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software

Dominick Reuter

Tesla has fallen 10% since the NHTSA initiated a probe of its autopilot systems, but Goldman is sticking to its 'buy' rating and says the investigation could last years

Matthew Fox

Sen. Richard Blumenthal says he's 'disappointed' Elon Musk is talking about a deadly crash involving a Tesla while it's under investigation

Grace Kay

Waymo CEO John Krafcik explains why systems like Tesla's Autopilot could be a 'big problem'

Danielle Muoio