Tesla investigated over self-driving cars driving on wrong side of road

"Tesla is being investigated by the US government after reports the firm's self-driving cars had broken traffic laws, including driving on the wrong side of the road and not stopping for red lights. It said it was aware of 58 reports where the electric cars had committed such violations, according to a filing from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)."

"The NHTSA's preliminary evaluation will "assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences" of the "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" mode. In this mode - which costs extra for Tesla owners - the cars can make lane changes and turns, but drivers must always be alert to take over at any time. According to the NHTSA report, there were six crashes caused by cars stopping at a traffic light before setting off while the light was still red. Four of the crashes resulted in injuries."

"The traffic authority said Tesla had taken action "to address the issue" of cars going through red lights at a particular intersection in Maryland, where the problem repeatedly occurred. The agency will also investigate reports of vehicles going into the opposite lane when making a turn. It said some of the reported incidents gave "little notice to a driver or opportunity to intervene"."

NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation into Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) mode after receiving 58 reports of traffic-law violations, including driving on the wrong side and running red lights. Approximately 2.9 million vehicles with the feature are under review. Reports include six crashes linked to vehicles restarting into red lights, causing four injuries. Regulators will assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of the system. Incidents of vehicles entering the opposite lane while turning were reported, sometimes giving drivers little notice or opportunity to intervene. A separate NHTSA probe examines door-locking mechanisms after children were reportedly trapped inside Model Y cars.

Read at www.bbc.com