The auto industry's top safety regulator announced on Wednesday that it had received reports of nearly 400 recent crashes in which advanced driver-assistance features were activated during or immediately preceding the incident. According to the report, more than two-thirds of the crashes involved a Tesla vehicle.
Given a number of limitations, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cautioned against using the data to draw conclusions about the safety of any company's technology. These include the fact that the data, which is company-reported, does not account for the number of vehicles equipped with driver-assistance technology sold by any given manufacturer, or the number of miles those vehicles have traveled.
Certain automakers, such as Tesla, can also access more information about their vehicles remotely than others, potentially making it easier to learn about crashes that must be reported to the government.
Tesla did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
According to the Texas-based company, driving with its advanced driver-assistance system, Autopilot, engaged is safer than driving without it. The company cites internal data indicating that crashes were less common when drivers used Autopilot. Tesla's methodology has been criticized by some researchers.
Tesla claims that its vehicles have driven more than one billion miles on Autopilot. As of last summer, General Motors Co. said its vehicles using a similar system known as Super Cruise had logged just over 10 million miles.
Last summer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered companies to report serious crashes involving advanced driver-assistance features that assume some control over steering, braking, and acceleration. Such technologies have become more common on American highways in recent years, particularly as more automobile manufacturers sell vehicles with features that automate more of the driving task.
According to the NHTSA, the crash data is intended to give the public a more detailed picture of the frequency and severity of vehicle crashes involving driver-assistance or automated-driving systems. The agency also stated that it hopes to use the data to determine which technologies pose a safety risk and should be researched further.
If a fatality or injury occurred, the companies were required to report the incident within one day of learning about it. The NHTSA reported 11 such crashes involving driver-assistance systems, six of which were fatal.
The NHTSA is investigating technology such as lane-keeping assistance and cruise-control systems that maintain a fixed distance behind a leading vehicle. The data also included higher-end systems, such as Tesla's technology, which can guide a car along highways with minimal driver input.
In the United States, such systems are not strictly regulated, and how they operate varies greatly depending on the manufacturer, which can lead to driver confusion. Lawmakers have asked regulators to look into such features.
The order affected over 100 companies, including automakers and tech firms involved in the development of such technology. The majority of automakers cited in the agency's data reported 10 or fewer accidents. The regulator said it received reports of 90 advanced driver-assistance-related crashes involving Honda Motor Co. vehicles, second only to Tesla's more than 270.
Honda stated on Wednesday that automakers' interpretations of their reporting obligations may differ and that an apples-to-apples comparison among manufacturers may be impossible at this time.
To meet the NHTSA's 24-hour reporting deadline, the automaker's reports are based on unverified complaints about whether driver-assistance features were engaged at the time of a reported crash, according to the automaker. Honda claims to have installed its driver-assistance technology in approximately six million vehicles.
In recent years, automakers have heavily promoted these driver-assistance systems as a way to improve safety, claiming that they are designed to help prevent crashes by relying on sensors, cameras, and radars to detect potential road hazards. Some systems, such as those offered by General Motors and Ford Motor Company, allow drivers to drive hands-free in certain situations, a feature marketed as helping to alleviate driver fatigue, particularly on long road trips.
The NHTSA also released data on crashes involving more automated systems, such as those used in Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo LLC and General Motors' Cruise LLC vehicles. These vehicles are outfitted with technology that completely automates driving in certain situations.
Cruise, a self-driving car company acquired by General Motors in 2016, recently launched commercial service in San Francisco, where it is now offering public rides in vehicles without a human driver. In the Phoenix area, Waymo provides a robotaxi service. The NHTSA reported 130 crashes involving these systems, mostly from Cruise and Waymo. These two companies reported a total of 23 and 62 crashes, respectively. The NHTSA received no reports of fatalities in self-driving vehicles.
A request for comment from Cruise and Waymo was not immediately returned.
The NHTSA's intention to release the data has been criticized by industry trade groups.