A new report has called into question the conclusion of an investigation launched by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2016 following a fatal Tesla crash. The NHTSA looked into the safety of Tesla's autonomous assistance features after a Model S operating with Autopilot struck a tractor trailer that year, killing the Tesla driver in the first deadly accident of its kind. Ultimately, the NHTSA determined that the system wasn't just safe, but actually slashed crash rates by nearly 40 percent. A new investigation using data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, however, shows that the reality is a lot more complicated. According to Quality Control Systems Corporation, which conducted the new analysis, the NHTSA misinterpreted the data it was provided; instead of reducing crashes, the findings suggest autosteer may have made accidents more common.

CASTRO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA – A man was killed when the Tesla automobile he was driving veered off a road, crashed through a fence and plunged into a pond, authorities said Monday. California Highway Patrol spokesman Daniel Jacowitz said rescuers pulled the Tesla Model S from the pond early Monday and found the man's body inside. The driver was identified as Keith Leung, 34, of Danville, California, said Sgt. Ray Kelly, spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's office. Kelly said it was too soon to know if the vehicle's semi-autonomous Autopilot mode was engaged when the crash occurred or whether the driver may have been speeding or intoxicated. Photographs of the car show that its back-end was destroyed, its hood crumpled and windows shattered.

The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched investigators to examine a fatal crash last week in California of a Tesla Inc. TSLA -8.22% electric vehicle and determine whether its semi-automated driving system was engaged. The NTSB, obliged increasingly to address questions surrounding the safety of driverless-car technologies, said Tuesday it was conducting a "field investigation" of the Friday crash near Mountain View, Calif., that resulted in the vehicle later catching fire. "Unclear if automated control system was active at time of crash," the NTSB said in a social-media posting, in a reference to Tesla's Autopilot feature. "Issues examined include: post-crash fire, steps to make vehicle safe for removal from scene." A man died in the accident after his Tesla Model X sport-utility vehicle traveling south on Highway 101struck a barrier and was struck by two other vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has made its final determinations on the cause of the fatal Tesla Model S crash that took place in Florida in May of last year. In a report set to be released in the next few days, the NTSB concludes that the accident was the fault of both drivers and has issued a series of recommendations to the Department of Transportation (DOT), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), manufacturers of Level 2 automated driving systems, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Global Automakers. The report's findings state that while the driver of the truck failed to yield the right of way to the Tesla driver, the latter was too heavily reliant on the car's automated system, which is the likely reason he did not try to avoid the oncoming collision. Data from the Autopilot system show that the Tesla driver's use pattern reflects a lack of understanding regarding the system's limitations -- which the NTSB says need to be configured to restrict themselves in order to prevent misuse. The Tesla Autopilot system monitored the driver's attention through his interaction with the steering wheel, which previous findings have determined was incredibly limited.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that "operational limitations" of Tesla's Autopilot system played a "major role" in a fatal crash last May, but that the driver was also at fault for not paying adequate attention to the road. Tesla owner Joshua Brown was using the semi-autonomous system on a Florida highway when both he and the car failed to notice a tractor-trailer turning left across the road. At the time, Autopilot was capable of steering the car within its lane and autonomously braking for vehicles in the road ahead. Following the incident, Tesla said that the vehicles sensors were unable to identify the white truck against the bright sky behind it. According to Reuters, the NTSB found that the system worked as designed, but should've done more to ensure driver attentiveness and restrict its use to highways and limited-access roads.

U .S. safety regulators are ending an investigation into a fatal crash involving electric car maker Tesla Motors' Autopilot system without a recall, according to a source. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scheduled a call Thursday about the investigation. A person briefed on the matter said that Tesla won't be fined -- but that the agency will criticize Tesla for confusing customers by calling the semiautonomous driving system Autopilot. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, wasn't authorized to provide details because results have not been released. The investigation began June 28, nearly two months after a driver using Autopilot in a Tesla Model S died when he and the vehicle both failed to spot a tractor-trailer crossing the car's path on a Florida highway.

FILE - In this photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board via the Florida Highway Patrol, a Tesla Model S that was being driven by Joshua Brown, who was killed when the Tesla sedan crashed while in self-driving mode on May 7, 2016. A source tells The Associated Press that U.S. safety regulators are ending an investigation into a fatal crash involving electric car maker Tesla Motors' Autopilot system without a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scheduled a call Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, about the investigation.

A day after the disclosure of the first death in a crash involving a self-driving vehicle, BMW on Friday announced plans to release a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles by 2021. In a partnership with Intel and Mobileye, the German automaker said its planned iNEXT model won't require a human in the driver's seat. That marks a different course toward self-driving vehicles than Tesla, which offers a self-driving "autopilot" feature to those participating in a "public beta phase" -- though drivers are supposed to stay engaged and keep their hands on the steering wheel. That system was in use during a fatal crash in Florida in May in which a Tesla Model S failed to detect a big-rig in its path and apply the brakes. BMW Chief Executive Harold Krueger addressed the Tesla crash during a news conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday, saying his company is not yet ready to roll out partially or fully autonomous vehicles.

Tesla calls its software "autopilot," but it really is nothing more than cruise control on steroids. Theautosteer function keeps the car in its lane, reads road signs, drives as much over the speed limit as you ask, and slows down or stops if there is a slower vehicle or obstruction ahead. If you want to overtake someone, you engage the turn signal, and the car will move itself to the adjacent lane when it can. I found this to be safer than changing lanes myself because of the blind spots. The advantage the Tesla has is that it can see in all directions at the same time.

A day after the disclosure of the first death in a crash involving a self-driving vehicle, BMW on Friday announced plans to release a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles by 2021. In a partnership with Intel and Mobileye, the German automaker said its planned iNEXT model won't require a human in the driver's seat. That marks a different course toward self-driving vehicles than Tesla, which offers a self-driving "autopilot" feature -- though drivers are supposed to stay engaged and keep their hands on the steering wheel. That system was in use during a fatal crash in Florida in May in which a Tesla Model S failed to detect a big rig in its path and apply the brakes. BMW Chief Executive Harold Krueger addressed the Tesla crash during a news conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday, saying his company is not yet ready to roll out partially or fully autonomous vehicles.