The Morning After: Tesla's Autopilot is now under federal investigation

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system. Since 2018, Tesla cars driven by Autopilot have crashed into first-responder vehicles on 11 separate occasions, causing 17 injuries and one fatality. Given that first responders vehicles have flashing lights, arrow boards and road cones, officials are concerned the system lulls drivers into a false sense of security. The NHTSA will now investigate how Tesla's Autopilot system studies the road and, more importantly, ensures drivers engage with what's going on. This could be the first brick in the road toward tougher supervision of all autonomous and semi-autonomous driver assistance systems. After all, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has already criticized Tesla for beta-testing its product on public roads with very little oversight.