Pete Buttigieg says there’s ‘real concern’ about how drivers interact with systems like Tesla’s Autopilot

• Pete Buttigieg said the way drivers interact with systems like Tesla’s Autopilot is worrisome.
• The transport minister said driver-assist technology had “a lot of promise.”
• But he raised questions about the safety of driver assistance systems for road users.

Pete Buttigieg said the way drivers interact with self-driving systems like Tesla’s Autopilot system is a cause for concern.

“There’s a real interest that’s not limited to just technology, but to the interaction between technology and drivers,” the transport secretary said of Tesla’s software investigations at a meeting. newspaper. Tuesday press conference.

Buttigieg added: “The question is not whether they are completely unproblematic or a thousand percent foolproof. “The question is: how can we be sure that they will lead to a better range of safety outcomes?”

While self-driving technology has “a lot of promise,” he warned: “We just need to make sure it unfolds responsibly.”

Tesla’s Autopilot function is designed for use on highways, while Full Self-Driver mode can work in urban environments and allows the vehicle to change lanes, recognize stop signs and traffic lightsas well as the park.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said that the software will eventually be able to work fully autonomously and be Safer than the driver. He argued that fully self-driving car represents the future of Tesla.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was consider many accidents related to Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems as of 2021. In March safety agency opened another investigation after it was reported that the steering wheel turned on Tesla’s Model Y may fall off while being driven.

The NHTSA also check whether the driver of the Tesla that hit a high school student in April was using driver assistance technology at the time.

The offices of NHTSA, Tesla and Buttigieg did not respond to requests for comment from Insider.